Saivism in the Diaspora - Contemporary Forms of Skanda Worship - Ron Geaves
The Role of Ritual in the Diaspora Tamil Saivite Temple
Saivism in the Diaspora - Contemporary Forms of Skanda Worship - Ron Geaves
Ron Geaves [+]
Liverpool Hope University
Ron Geaves is Professor of Studies of Religions in the Department of Theology, Philosophy and Religious Studies at Liverpool Hope University. He is the author of several books including, most recently, Islam and the West Post 9/11 (Ashgate, 2004) and Aspects of Islam (Darton, Longman and Todd, 2005).
Description
The world of ritual in the Agamic traditions of Saiva Siddhanta when located in the temple is securely in the hands of the Brahman priest. Although in the early days of the development of British Tamil religious life a few individual Vellulars felt confident enough to perform rituals to the deity, the community quickly reasserted the authority of the Brahman once the temples were established and the gods installed.