Vocalizing the "Local": Exploring the Cultural Milieu Along Coastal Maharashtra

• 作者: Durga Kale
• 来源期刊: 文化与宗教研究:英文版
• 学科: 社会科学
• 关键词: Konkan Western India VERNACULAR RELIGION LOCAL culture Parshurama Sahyadri Khanda RELIGIOUS Narratives
• 年，卷（期）: whyzjyjywb_2019,（7）
• 页码范围: 380-390
• 页数: 11页
• 分类号: C

摘要

The return to the study of localized aspects of culture and tradition is unravelling the various layers of a regional cultural milieu in academic study. Following the vein of regional exploration, this paper explores the case of Konkan, along the west coast of India, for the vernacular religious traditions. The mythic hero Parshurama mentioned in the text of Sahyadri Khanda features as a prominent hero along the Konkan coast and numerous places and performative traditions have retained the mythical base of this narrative as a part of local history. Ritual significance of naming certain sites and the connection between temples and other archaeological material sources with a narrative thread form the crux of this discussion on local culture in Konkan. The aspect of orality in the narrative scheme is often overlooked in the study of regional culture, and this exploration makes a case for the interdisciplinary approach of textual sources, ethnographic and oral accounts along with the data pertaining to material culture in such a study. The paper offers an entry point into the examination of religious texts and local performative tradition hinged on narratives of space that have shaped the vernacular culture to this day. This exploration will offer a case-study for an interdisciplinary investigation into local cultures that in turn enrich the knowledge on popular socio-religious currents.