Item Details

Early Gayā: The Emergence of Tīrthaśrāddha

Issue: Vol 10 No. 1 (2016)

Subject Areas: Religious Studies Buddhist Studies Islamic Studies

Abstract:

This article describes the earliest recognition of tīrtha in the dharmaśāstra literature, discusses the earliest associations between tīrtha and śrāddha, and traces the emergence of Gayā as a sacred place with a particular connection to śrāddha as found in the Brahmanical religious literature. I argue that the references to tīrthaśrāddha and Gayā found in the earliest Brahmanical dharma texts represent fledgling efforts by the educated class of brahmins to appropriate and legitimate the ritual practices associated with pilgrimage by incorporating them into their discourse on dharma.

Author: Matthew R. Sayers

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