La nascita del riso nella tradizione śivaita del Bengala medievale: un’epopea di frontiera
In this article, I will examine the myth of the origin of rice (dhānyer janma) in the texts attributed to Rāmāi Paṇḍit, the first priest of the Bengali god Dharmarāj. The myth, which features a form of Śiva as a ploughing god (kr̥ṣak debatā), has long been considered a late interpolation following t...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | Italian |
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Salvatore Sciascia Editore
2021-12-01
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Series: | Mythos |
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Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/mythos/3520 |
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author | Fabrizio Ferrari |
author_facet | Fabrizio Ferrari |
author_sort | Fabrizio Ferrari |
collection | DOAJ |
description | In this article, I will examine the myth of the origin of rice (dhānyer janma) in the texts attributed to Rāmāi Paṇḍit, the first priest of the Bengali god Dharmarāj. The myth, which features a form of Śiva as a ploughing god (kr̥ṣak debatā), has long been considered a late interpolation following the spread of the Bengali śaiva culture. In fact, the śaiva (nāth) element is earlier than Dharmarāj mythology and, with all probability, originated in eastern Bengal. This thesis will be discussed along a cross-examination Dharmaite literature, Bengali Nāth texts, epigraphic sources, and a historical study of the hydrogeological shift of the Bengal river complexes. In so doing, the paper offers a unique perspective to appreciate forms of mythopoesis and the dynamics of circulation of narratives and rituals in medieval Bengal with respect to agricultural knowledge and the biodiversity inherent to Bengali cereal culture. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:36:46Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-90f6da79ef564dbbac30cff520ff4023 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1972-2516 2037-7746 |
language | Italian |
last_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:36:46Z |
publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
publisher | Salvatore Sciascia Editore |
record_format | Article |
series | Mythos |
spelling | doaj.art-90f6da79ef564dbbac30cff520ff40232023-04-04T09:49:24ZitaSalvatore Sciascia EditoreMythos1972-25162037-77462021-12-011510.4000/mythos.3520La nascita del riso nella tradizione śivaita del Bengala medievale: un’epopea di frontieraFabrizio FerrariIn this article, I will examine the myth of the origin of rice (dhānyer janma) in the texts attributed to Rāmāi Paṇḍit, the first priest of the Bengali god Dharmarāj. The myth, which features a form of Śiva as a ploughing god (kr̥ṣak debatā), has long been considered a late interpolation following the spread of the Bengali śaiva culture. In fact, the śaiva (nāth) element is earlier than Dharmarāj mythology and, with all probability, originated in eastern Bengal. This thesis will be discussed along a cross-examination Dharmaite literature, Bengali Nāth texts, epigraphic sources, and a historical study of the hydrogeological shift of the Bengal river complexes. In so doing, the paper offers a unique perspective to appreciate forms of mythopoesis and the dynamics of circulation of narratives and rituals in medieval Bengal with respect to agricultural knowledge and the biodiversity inherent to Bengali cereal culture.http://journals.openedition.org/mythos/3520HinduismBengalriceGājanŚiva |
spellingShingle | Fabrizio Ferrari La nascita del riso nella tradizione śivaita del Bengala medievale: un’epopea di frontiera Mythos Hinduism Bengal rice Gājan Śiva |
title | La nascita del riso nella tradizione śivaita del Bengala medievale: un’epopea di frontiera |
title_full | La nascita del riso nella tradizione śivaita del Bengala medievale: un’epopea di frontiera |
title_fullStr | La nascita del riso nella tradizione śivaita del Bengala medievale: un’epopea di frontiera |
title_full_unstemmed | La nascita del riso nella tradizione śivaita del Bengala medievale: un’epopea di frontiera |
title_short | La nascita del riso nella tradizione śivaita del Bengala medievale: un’epopea di frontiera |
title_sort | la nascita del riso nella tradizione sivaita del bengala medievale un epopea di frontiera |
topic | Hinduism Bengal rice Gājan Śiva |
url | http://journals.openedition.org/mythos/3520 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT fabrizioferrari lanascitadelrisonellatradizionesivaitadelbengalamedievaleunepopeadifrontiera |