Narasiṃha, the Supreme Deity of Andhra Pradesh: Tradition and Innovation in Hinduism - An Examination of the Temple Myths, Folk Stories, and Popular Culture
Narasiṃha is the most popular Vaiṣṇava deity of Andhra Pradesh, with numerous temples found across Andhra Pradesh. Narasiṃha is the only theriomorphic deity to achieve this status, most commonly ascribed to anthropomorphic deities, such as Krishna (Gujarat), Rāma (North India), Murugan (Tamilnadu),...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Carfax Publ.
[2009]
|
| In: |
Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 2009, Volume: 24, Issue: 1, Pages: 35-52 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | Narasiṃha is the most popular Vaiṣṇava deity of Andhra Pradesh, with numerous temples found across Andhra Pradesh. Narasiṃha is the only theriomorphic deity to achieve this status, most commonly ascribed to anthropomorphic deities, such as Krishna (Gujarat), Rāma (North India), Murugan (Tamilnadu), and Kāli (Bengal). In order to understand the overall image of Narasiṃha and his rise to supreme status in Andhra Pradesh, I will examine the sthalapurā?as and folk traditions of Narasi?ha and include a demonstration of how the local traditions inform and interact in the religious experience and practice of society. The article is divided into two sections. The first section examines the sthalapurāṇas (local temple myths) and ritual practices of selected Narasiṃha temples. The discrepancies are highlighted between the classical purāṇa representation of Narasiṃha and the actual cultic praxis in contemporary Andhra Pradesh. The second section analyzes the folk mythology of Narasi?ha to understand the features which establish him as the most popular Vaiṣ?ava deity/avatāra of choice in Andhra Pradesh. Considered also are themes of Narasi?ha from popular culture. Apart from shedding light on the Vaiṣṇavism and Narasiṃha, this study contributes to the understanding of popular Hinduism in India. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1469-9419 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/13537900802630489 |