Devas, Demons and Buddhist Cosmology in Sri Lanka

This book examines the worship of devas and demons in Sri Lanka, illustrating how diverse influences interacted to create the Sinhala Buddhist cosmology. This book will be of interest to researchers and students engaged in the study of religion, anthropology, folklore, and history, specifically in the South Asian context.

Autorentext

Achala Gunasekara-Rockwell is the assistant editor of the US Department of the Air Force's Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs. She also serves as an adjunct assistant professor for the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Troy University, USA. She received her PhD in Languages and Cultures of Asia from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Inhalt

List of illustrations

Foreword

Acknowledgments

1 Deva and demon worship in Sri Lanka

2 Temples, shrines, and sacred spaces of Hniyam

3 Iconography of Hniyam

4 Historical context

5 European colonialism versus the indigenous kingdoms

6 From British hegemony to the modern era

7 The potential apotheosis of Mahinda Rajapaksa

8 Hniyam as an invader

9 Conclusion

Bibliography

Index