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Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 2010 - 20,2-4

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society / editor: Sarah Ansari [u.a.]. - Third Series. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Erscheinungsverlauf: 3.Ser. 1.1991-
ISSN 1356-1863 (Printausgabe)
ISSN 1474-0591 (Online-Ausgabe)

Inhalt: 20,2-4 (2010)
Die Nummern 2 bis 4 enthalten folgende Beiträge mit Bezug zu Südasien:

Alexander Wynne: „The Buddha's ‘skill in means’ and the genesis of the five aggregate teaching (Winner of the 2nd Professor Mary Boyce Award)“. - In: JRAS. - 3rd series, Vol. 20,2 (2010), S. 191-216
DOI: 10.1017/S1356186309990496
Abstract: The problem tackled in this article is ambitious. Through examination of how certain fundamental teachings of the Buddha originated – the author argues that those teachings must indeed go back to the Buddha himself. Thus the author builds a chain of argument which creates hypothetical links rather than declaring ‘a priori’ that links and connection cannot be established.
This article argues that the Alagaddūpama Sutta, an important early Buddhist text, portrays the Buddha in the process of formulating his thoughts. If so it contradicts the myth that the Buddha awakened to the entire Buddhist Dharma on one occasion, and should be dated to the fourth century bce. Such an antiquity, and peculiar didactic structure suggests that the text contains authentic teachings of the Buddha.

Hans Bakker: „Royal Patronage and Religious Tolerance : the Formative Period of Gupta–Vākāṭaka Culture“. - In: JRAS. - 3rd series, Vol. 20,4 (2010), S. 461-475
DOI: 10.1017/S1356186310000301
Abstract: Patronage by the royal court of religious institutions and foundations is one of the hallmarks of the development of India under the rule of the Gupta and Vākāṭaka kings (4th–5th centuries). This patronage was extended also to religious movements other than the king's own persuasion. The evolving culture of religious tolerance and enthusiasm is apparent in the temple monuments of the time. In this article we focus on four archeological sites where these developments become best visible: Udayagiri, Māṇḍhaḷ, Rāmagiri (Ramtek), and Mansar. The close relationship of the Gupta and Vākāṭaka realms is investigated in its local settings. Renewed attention is given to the ‘Mandhal Inscription, Year 5’ of the Vākāṭaka king Rudrasena II and the deity on whose authority the charter was issued: Muṇḍasvāmin. It is argued that the name Muṇḍa refers to no one else than the Gupta queen of Rudrasena II, Prabhāvatī Guptā. During the last decade, excavations in Mansar (5 km west of Ramtek) have brought to light the state sanctuary of the youngest son of Prabhāvatī, Pravarasena II. The findings there are placed within the tradition that can be traced back, through Rāmagiri and Māṇḍhaḷ, to the religious foundations in Udayagiri.

Peter Bisschop: „Śaivism in the Gupta-Vākāṭaka Age“. - In: JRAS. - 3rd series, Vol. 20,4 (2010), S. 477-488
DOI: 10.1017/S1356186310000295
Abstract: One of the features of the Gupta-Vākāṭaka age is the growth of Śaivism. In this article some of the epigraphical evidence for this process is assembled and discussed. While the direct evidence for the adoption of Śiva worship among the Guptas is limited to ministers of the Gupta court, it is clear that the Vākāṭaka kings were predominantly Māheśvaras. New fragmentary wall inscriptions uncovered from Mansar, the site of Pravarasena II's palace, hint at a possible connection with the teachings of the Śvetāśvatara-Upaniṣad. Two post-Gupta inscriptions from the area around Mandasor are discussed in the light of a tendency towards religious hierarchisation, an attitude which came to be increasingly characteristic of early medieval Śaivism. In the second part attention is drawn to the variety of Pāśupata and Māheśvara worship in the Gupta-Vākāṭaka age, as well as to the trifold organisation of the Pāśupata movement. The article ends with a note on the interaction with non-Śaiva traditions, in particular Buddhism, and its possible impact upon the formation of the Pāśupata movement.

Andrew Huxley: „Dr Führer's Wanderjahre: The Early Career of a Victorian Archaeologist“. - In: JRAS. - 3rd series, Vol. 20,4 (2010), S. 489-502
DOI: 10.1017/S1356186310000246
Abstract: The Rev. Dr A.A. Führer lived to the age of seventy-seven. Herein is examined his first forty years. Trained as an Oriental Linguist, Führer eventually found employment as a field archaeologist. Three years after his appointment, the Archaeological Survey of India entered the worst crisis of its existence. Führer reacted in ways incompatible with scholarly integrity. It remains to be seen whether he committed further transgressions and or forgeries during his final thirty-seven years.