Shrines, stones, and memories
The entangled storyworld of a goddess temple in Assam
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7100299 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ü Valk (0000-0003-2981-0173, University of Tartu, corresponding author), Ülo Valk (Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore, University of Tartu, Tatu, Estonia) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 508-522 |
| Publication date | 2017-09-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | South Asian History and Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1947-2498 • E-ISSN: 1947-2501 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19472498.2017.1371503 |
| OpenAlex | W2752493290 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
The article explores the place-lore of a small goddess temple in Silghat in Nagaon district, Assam, and is based on fieldwork conducted during four site visits from 2009 until 2016. The temple was established by Ahom King Pramatta Simha in 1745 and is dedicated to Kamakhya, a local goddess, who has been affiliated with pan-Indian pauranik mythology. Three Brahmin families have been serving in the temple since its foundation and their stories reveal a rich but far from homogenous storytelling tradition, where mythic narratives, history and memories coalesce. Authority of these stories that sometimes contradict each other relies on references to lineal oral tradition (paramparā) – knowledge of the elders; on the other hand written evidence about history was considered more reliable than orality. In this case, a somewhat controversial and incongruent storytelling tradition charges the temple and surrounding landscape with memories and mythic events from the past. The article argues that as collective and personal dimensions of tradition conflate and reveal an entangled storyworld, both imagination and factuality have a creative role to play
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Diaspora · Foundation (evidence · Literacy · Literature · Mythology · Narrative · Oral tradition · Orality · Sociology · Storytelling · Temple · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · South Asian Cinema and Culture · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |