Dienstag
18
JUN

16.00 Uhr

Śrīraṅgam and its māhātmya. Travelling to the Heaven on Earth :

Narasiṃha on the move: Sketching a meaningful territory through the deity’s travel

Prof. Dr. Marzenna Czerniak-Drożdżowicz und Dr. Ewa Dębicka-Borek, Jagiellonen-Universität Krakau (Polen), Department of Oriental Studies

Śrīraṅgam and its māhātmya. Travelling to the Heaven on Earth:
The holy spot of Śrīraṅgam, being an example of heaven on earth - bhūlokavaikuṇṭha, will be considered in the reference to the Pañcarātrika texts and māhātmyas praising sacred places. I will also include some observations about approaching the subject in the context of the mutual relations of nature and culture, which are visible also in the literary production connected with the different domains of the life of the region.

Narasiṃha on the move: Sketching a meaningful territory through the deity’s travel:
I shall discuss the reasons behind mapping three sites of Narasiṃha worship (Kāñcī, Ahobilam, Ghaṭikādri) in the 3rd chapter of the Vaiṣṇava Kāñcīmāhātmya. Textual analysis of the Narasiṃha myth presented in the text reveals that it has been inspired by various local narrations related to the places spotted on the route sketched by the deity’s travels. The most effective means of connecting these places is the mythical narrative on Narasiṃha’s race after the demons, which frames the story and hence unifies single episodes inspired by appropriate local traditions. The purpose of such a literary technique is to produce a certain area that for some reasons was, or was intended to be, valuable for its inhabitants. Notably, maintaining the Andhra-bounded motif of Narasiṃha, who kills Hiraṇyakaśipu at Ahobilam, the furthest destination on the route, makes this particular site an indispensable and especially meaningful spot on the KM 3 literary map.

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