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Article: Village deities of Tamil Nadu in myths and legends: the Narrated Experience.(Report)
- Article from:
- Asian Folklore Studies
- Article date:
- April 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Asian Folklore Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE HISTORY of Hinduism in India has been dominated by such powerful pan-Indian gods as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who figure in religious texts in Sanskrit and are controlled and mediated by Brahmins, the religious elite of the society. * Scholarly understanding of Hinduism as a systematic religion is likewise shaped by endeavors to construct a uniform, coherent system of beliefs and religious practices. However, the Hinduism of the scriptures is different from the vernacular forms of the religion that are expressed, practiced, and narrated by ordinary people, the majority of whom live in the countryside.
The aim of the present article is to explore the religious ...