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. |
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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
according actions Arjuna asked associated battle began Bhima born Brahman brothers called capital caste central chapter collective common cultural dance dancers deities demon discussion dominance Draupadi Duryodhana especially example fact father final five four Garhwal give goddess gods hand head Hindu human identity important Indian Kali Karan Karna Kauravas killed kind king Krishna Kshatriya Kunti later lila live Mahābhārata Mahasu means mother Mother Kunti Nagarjuna Note once pāndav lilä Pandavas performance perhaps person play political priest procession Raja Rajputs reached regarded region relations religious renouncer represent rhinoceros ritual River royal served Singh social sometimes sons square story subjects tell temple territory told took tradition tree true turned universal values versions village warrior weapons Western wife women worship
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Dancing the Self: Personhood and Performance in the Pandav Lila of Garhwal |
| Author | William S. Sax |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 2002 |
| ISBN | 0198031874, 9780198031871 |
| Length | 240 pages |
| Subjects | › › Religion / Hinduism / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |