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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Main Author: Fabrizio Ferrari
Format: Article
Language:Italian
Published: Salvatore Sciascia Editore 2021-12-01
Series:Mythos
Subjects:
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.
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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