Browsing by Subject "Rituals"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
A critical and comparative study of Hinduism and Buddhism with specific reference to Nepal
(University of North Bengal, 2017) Deo, Sujata,; Saha, Debika,
Open Access
Dynamics of Religious Transformation of the Tamang Community of the Sub-Himalaya: Historical Perspective
(University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Lama, Sudash
Study of religion and cultural change has always cherished the historian and ethnologist. The Tamang have been the subject of study for historians, ethnologists and philologists for many decades. The cultural peculiarity and ethnographic distinctiveness has attracted the scholar. The present paper intends to highlight the imbibed religious transformative character of animism to Buddhism. It also attempted to explore the reasons for the cultural shift of the tamang from animism to Buddhism.
Open Access
Rites and Rituals in the Life and Death Cycle of the Mangar
(University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Mangar, Asudha
history of origin of Mangar or Magar in India is shrouded in obscurity. Some scholars emphasized on the fact that the Magars or Mangars, are one of the aborigines of Sikkim and Nepal, belong to the Kirata community of the Eastern Himalayas. They are one of the oldest tribes of Sikkim. Rajesh Verma has reasonably stated that the Kiratis include Rai, Limbu, Gurung, Mangar and Tamang tribe of Sikkim. S.R. Timsina has also mentioned that the Mangars, Limbus and Lepcha are the earliest settlers of ancient Sikkim. J.D. Hooker has also described them as the aborigines of Sikkim. Hence, the rites and rituals of Mangars settlers of Sikkim, Darjeeling or sub- Himalayan region has a close affinity and can be found with similarity with other castes, yet holding its uniqueness and ethnic values. The paper here tries its best to bring out expansively the prevailing rites and rituals of Mangar among the inhabitants of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in respect of life and death cycle.
Open Access
Wittgenstein’s Counter-explanatory take on Religion
(University of North Bengal, 2025) Jha, Purbayan
If we try to understand any philosophy of religion in Ludwig Wittgenstein’s writings we may not find one, still his remarks on religious beliefs and languages draw some interesting points that could tempt us to look at religions and religious practices with an open ended perspective. Wittgenstein’s Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough is an example of his approach against explanation of religious beliefs and rituals. Wittgenstein thinks that the explanation of killing the priest-king in order to keep his soul as fresh does not add any significant value to the religious discourses. Any kind of metaphysical thematization in this regard is better to get rid of, as far as Wittgenstein’s views are concerned. Rather he takes an anthropological approach to religion and its practices, where the practices are intertwined with his notions of language-games and forms of life. D.Z. Phillips addresses the fact that in Wittgenstein’s earlier writings on Frazer we find that there could be a principle in the language by which all the rituals could be ordered, but later on as Rush Rhees points out, it has been found that the imagination of ritual implies it imagining in a form of life. Our urge for explanation often takes us to a juggernaut from where it becomes so much difficult to return and have peace. I will be trying to show how clarity in the Wittgensteinian sense could help us better to comprehend the value of religion and have impact over our religious discourse. Rituals in religion can’t be based on evidences, like what is done in science. Religion is based on faith. If there is loss of faith in God, then it need not be based on rational justification rather a shift in the form of life where the older language might seem meaningless to the concerned person.