Ascetics, kings, and the ‘triumphs’ of Vaiṣṇavism in Mughal India

Myth and memory in the many lives of Krishnadās Payahārī from Rajasthan to the Western Himalayas

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12985657
AutoresPatton E Burchett (Williams (United States), autor de correspondencia), Aditi Rao (0000-0003-4966-5778, Barnard College)
Año2020
Volumen12
Número1
Páginas53-74
Fecha de publicación2020-11-10
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSouth Asian History and Culture (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1947-2498 • E-ISSN: 1947-2501
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19472498.2020.1843950
OpenAlexW3102569003
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas23

This paper interrogates popular narratives regarding the spread of Vaiṣṇavism in early modern North India through an examination of the memory of the Rāmānandī ascetic and bhakti saint Krishnadās Payahārī. Payahārī is remembered as a pious, Nāth Yogi-defeating wonder worker as well as a powerful figure in the political sphere, directly responsible for the conversion of kings from Śaiva-Śākta tantric religion to Vaiṣṇava devotion. Examining oral traditions from Rajasthan, Panjab, and the Western Himalayas, along with seventeenth-century hagiographical texts, while also drawing upon ethnographic research at sites where Payahārī is actively remembered and revered today, this paper offers insights into the mythological function of Payahārī as emblematic Vaiṣṇava ascetic, the historical relations of Vaiṣṇava (bhakti) and Śaiva-Śākta (tantric) religiosity in Mughal India, the role of ascetics and monastic communities in this period and its remembrance, and the beguiling presence of Payahārī and his memory today. In particular, we investigate the enduring effects of Mughal influence on the Western Himalayas in the puzzling, still vital place of Payahārī and a Vaiṣṇava state deity in the social life of the Śaiva-Śākta-dominated Kullu Valley

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Asceticism · Hinduism · Literature · Mythology · Narrative · Politics · Politics of memory · Religiosity · SAINT · Sociology · State (computer science · Theology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Classics · History · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies