Playing God

Gabriel, Theodore P. C.:
Playing God : belief and ritual in the Muttappan cult of North Malabar / Theodore Gabriel. - London ; Oakville, CT : Equinox Publishing, 2010. - xi, 105 S.: Ill., Kt.
ISBN 978-1-84553-524-7
£ 50,00 / US$ 80,00
DDC: 294.538095483

Beschreibung
Playing God discusses the genre of rituals known as the ‘Teyyam extent’ in the North Malabar region of Kerala State, India. In this elaborately costumed ritual practitioners invoke the spirit of a deity into themselves which constitutes a splendid theophany in which, when the ritual process is over, the devotees are able to talk to the “god” and invoke his/her blessings and predictions of their future. This book concentrates on the cult of the Muttappan duo of gods, the most popular among the Teyyams of North Malabar. The Muttappan cult, though originating from worship of a forest god by tribal groups and untouchables of the hill districts of North Malabar, is now widely popular not only in Kerala, attracting worshippers from all castes and regions of South India.
   Playing God analyses the mythology and ritual praxis of the Muttappan cult and examines the attempts to integrate the cult into a wider Hinduism by enunciating of a new hermeneutic of the legend and rituals based on the Hindu Advaitic tradition. The book also discusses how the Teyyam ritual contrasts significantly with rituals and worship in Brahminical Hinduism. The popularity of the cult is a reflection of the changing relationships between castes in Kerala, involving a closer symbiosis and reflecting the urge by the untouchable groups of Kerala to gain a higher standing and acceptance in Keralan Hindu society. The rituals are rich in theological significance and symbolism, and have links to the performing arts of Kerala such as Kathakali and Ottam Tullal. [Verlagsinformation]

Inhalt
Foreword by Professor Andrew Walls, Liverpool Hope University
1. Introduction and a short account of Kerala and the North Malabar Region
2. Religion and caste in North Malabar
3. Spirit possession and ritual praxis in North Malabar – the Teyyam
4. The Muttappan Legend and emancipation of untouchables in North Malabar
5. The Rituals of the Muttappan Cult
6. Sanskritisation of the Muttappan Cult – A new hermeneutic for the Muttappan legend and ritual
7. Conclusion

Autor
THEODORE GABRIEL is Associate Senior Lecturer and Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Gloucestershire. He was born and had his early education in Kerala. After obtaining a postgradute degree in Sociology and Anthropology at Shivaji University, Maharashtra, he did research work at the University of Aberdeen leading to his MLitt and PhD degrees in Comparative Religion. He is the author of Lakshadweep, History, Religion and Society (New Delhi, Books and Books, 1989), Hindu-Muslim Relations in North Malabar 1498-1947 (E. Mellen Press, 1996), Hindu and Muslim Inter-Religious Relations in Malaysia (E. Mellen Press, 2000) and the co-editor of Mysticisms, East and West: Studies in Mystical Experience (Paternoster Press, 2003). His research interests are in Islam in South and south East Asia, Hinduism in South India, Inter-Faith Relations and Tribal Religions. Profile page.

Quellen: Equinox Publishing; Library of Congress; WorldCat; Amazon.