Dancing the Self: Personhood and Performance in the Pandav Lila of GarhwalFor ten years, William Sax studied the inhabitants of the former kingdom of Garhwal in northern India. Sax attended and participated in performances of the pandav lila (a ritual reenactment of scenes from the Mahabharata in a dance) and observed its context in village life. Combining ethnographic fieldwork with sophisticated reflection on the larger meanings of these rituals and practices, this volume presents the information in a style accessible to the uninitiated reader. Sax opens a window on a fascinating (and threatened) aspect of rural Indian life and on Hinduism as a living religion, while providing an accessible introduction to the Mahabharata itself. |
Contents
| 3 | |
The Mah257bh257rata Story | 16 |
1 The Sutol P257ndav L299l257 | 20 |
P257ndav L299l257 as a Regional Tradition | 39 |
P257ndav L299l257 as a Mans Sport | 64 |
P257ndav L299l257 as a Rajput Tradition | 93 |
Draupadi and Kunti in the P257ndav L299l257 | 134 |
6 A Divine King in the Western Himalayas | 157 |
Orientalism Anthropology and the Other | 186 |
| 201 | |
| 221 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Abhimanyu anthropologists Arjuna arrow asked aśvamedha Babhruvahana Babrik bard battle began Bhima boon Brahman brothers called caste Chalda Mahasu Chamoli District Chandpur chapter Circular Array cult cultural dancers dancing square deities demon devatā devatom dharma divine dominance dramatic Draupadi drummer drums Dumont Duryodhana epic episode example father five Pandavas Garhwal goat goddess Hanuman Hastinapura Heesterman hegemony Hiltebeitel 1988 Himalayas Hindu human Indian Indra Jakh Kali Karna Kauravas killed King Karna kingship Krishna Kshatriya Kumaon kuntī mātā Mahābhārata Mahābhārata story Nagarjuna Nagiloka Nakula north India oracle Padam Singh pańcanām pandav līlā Pandavas Pandu pātā performance play political priest public ritual Pune edition rājā Raja Karan Rajputs recitation region religious renouncer rhinoceros River Sahadeva sami tree Sanskrit Shiva Shri Singtur social sons śrāddha Sutol temple territory tion told Tons River took tradition Vasudanta vazir versions village warrior weapons wife women worship Yudhisthira