09-23-2005, 02:54 PM
<b> Spiritual Journey, Imperial City: Pilgrimage to the Temples of Vijayanagara.</b>
<i> by William Grantham</i>
Spiritual Journey, Imperial City: Pilgrimage to the Temples of Vijayanagara. ALEXANDRA MACK. Vedams ebooks Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi . xv + 227 pp. Rs 900 (Approximately $45.00 U.S.), ISBN 81-7936-004-0.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Alexandra Mack explores the economic, social, and political aspects of pilgrimages as represented by Vijayanagara, a temple/city that dominated south India from the fourteenth to sixteenth century. Utilizing a holistic approach, Mack evaluates literary texts, ethnographic data collected from local villagers, temple inscriptions, maps, and archaeologically recovered ceramic and grinding stone remains to examine the role of the pilgrimage in reinforcing social integration while maintaining social boundaries.
The book consists of eight chapters and an appendix. Mack sets forth her goals in chapter 1 that include an examination of how the political and economic aspects of pilgrimages affect social interactions at Vijayanagara, India. An important aspect of Mack's work is how pilgrimages reinforce social integration while maintaining social boundaries. The next three chapters are devoted to historic and theoretical background. Chapter 2 provides an important discussion of the various social and economic aspects of pilgrimages and a review of relevant published studies. Chapter 3 describes the city and empire of Vijayanagara historically while Chapter 4 offers a broader sociohistorical discussion of the role of the temple in south India, the relationship between Hinduism and the temple, and the relationship between the temple and the economy, society, and politics in south India.
The next three chapters are devoted to analytical studies. Chapter 5 presents inscription data recovered from temple walls. Mack provides a discussion of the benefits and limitations of inscription evidence and concludes that while the inscription data reveal "ways in which the temples set the stage for claims of authority and legitimation" (p. 101), they also demonstrate the importance of the pilgrimage. Chapter 6 evaluates the spatial organization of the temple and surrounding area. Mack suggests that within the social setting of the pilgrimage, the use of space can "contribute to both the deconstruction of social barriers and the reinforcement of such boundaries" (p. 118). In Chapter 7 Mack uses grinding-stone and ceramic data to evaluate food preparation and social relations at Vijayanagara. She argues that these data "reveal the complexity of social interactions and the coexistence of different types of social relations in the constrained geographical areas around the temples" (p. 158). The data presented in chapters 5 through 7 are supported by ample charts, graphs, and statistics. Chapter 8 presents Mack's conclusions and suggestions for the direction of future research in the field. While Mack provides an extensive appendix of grinding-stone and ceramic data collected at Vijayanagara, the book's index is rather short which may limit its usefulness.
Mack sets ambitious goals for herself with this research. Patterns of social identity, social integration, and social boundaries are difficult to evaluate among extant populations and can be quite nebulous in the historical or archaeological record. The holistic approach that Mack pursues provides encouraging results. Perhaps among her most important conclusions is that, while the pilgrimage "engenders communitas among the pilgrims" (p. 164), the archaeological record indicates that both spatial and economic separation was maintained between the pilgrims and the local residents of the area. Mack attempts to integrate a wide array of data to address a number of difficult archaeological questions in a relatively short book. Toward this end, she reaches interesting results and demonstrates the utility of a holistic methodology. The book has much to offer and should appeal to those interested in the region of south India, the social aspects of pilgrimages and temples in general, and archaeological and historical approaches to evaluating social identity, social integration, social boundaries, and spatial analysis.
Reviewed by William Grantham, Troy State University. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<i> by William Grantham</i>
Spiritual Journey, Imperial City: Pilgrimage to the Temples of Vijayanagara. ALEXANDRA MACK. Vedams ebooks Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi . xv + 227 pp. Rs 900 (Approximately $45.00 U.S.), ISBN 81-7936-004-0.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Alexandra Mack explores the economic, social, and political aspects of pilgrimages as represented by Vijayanagara, a temple/city that dominated south India from the fourteenth to sixteenth century. Utilizing a holistic approach, Mack evaluates literary texts, ethnographic data collected from local villagers, temple inscriptions, maps, and archaeologically recovered ceramic and grinding stone remains to examine the role of the pilgrimage in reinforcing social integration while maintaining social boundaries.
The book consists of eight chapters and an appendix. Mack sets forth her goals in chapter 1 that include an examination of how the political and economic aspects of pilgrimages affect social interactions at Vijayanagara, India. An important aspect of Mack's work is how pilgrimages reinforce social integration while maintaining social boundaries. The next three chapters are devoted to historic and theoretical background. Chapter 2 provides an important discussion of the various social and economic aspects of pilgrimages and a review of relevant published studies. Chapter 3 describes the city and empire of Vijayanagara historically while Chapter 4 offers a broader sociohistorical discussion of the role of the temple in south India, the relationship between Hinduism and the temple, and the relationship between the temple and the economy, society, and politics in south India.
The next three chapters are devoted to analytical studies. Chapter 5 presents inscription data recovered from temple walls. Mack provides a discussion of the benefits and limitations of inscription evidence and concludes that while the inscription data reveal "ways in which the temples set the stage for claims of authority and legitimation" (p. 101), they also demonstrate the importance of the pilgrimage. Chapter 6 evaluates the spatial organization of the temple and surrounding area. Mack suggests that within the social setting of the pilgrimage, the use of space can "contribute to both the deconstruction of social barriers and the reinforcement of such boundaries" (p. 118). In Chapter 7 Mack uses grinding-stone and ceramic data to evaluate food preparation and social relations at Vijayanagara. She argues that these data "reveal the complexity of social interactions and the coexistence of different types of social relations in the constrained geographical areas around the temples" (p. 158). The data presented in chapters 5 through 7 are supported by ample charts, graphs, and statistics. Chapter 8 presents Mack's conclusions and suggestions for the direction of future research in the field. While Mack provides an extensive appendix of grinding-stone and ceramic data collected at Vijayanagara, the book's index is rather short which may limit its usefulness.
Mack sets ambitious goals for herself with this research. Patterns of social identity, social integration, and social boundaries are difficult to evaluate among extant populations and can be quite nebulous in the historical or archaeological record. The holistic approach that Mack pursues provides encouraging results. Perhaps among her most important conclusions is that, while the pilgrimage "engenders communitas among the pilgrims" (p. 164), the archaeological record indicates that both spatial and economic separation was maintained between the pilgrims and the local residents of the area. Mack attempts to integrate a wide array of data to address a number of difficult archaeological questions in a relatively short book. Toward this end, she reaches interesting results and demonstrates the utility of a holistic methodology. The book has much to offer and should appeal to those interested in the region of south India, the social aspects of pilgrimages and temples in general, and archaeological and historical approaches to evaluating social identity, social integration, social boundaries, and spatial analysis.
Reviewed by William Grantham, Troy State University. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->