EXPLORING THE MYTHS AND REALITY OF SALASAR BALAJI
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i7.2024.2551Keywords:
Myth, Reality, Salasar Balaji, HanumanAbstract [English]
Oral stories/folk narratives have been passed on from generation to generations in order to preserve culture and history. Myth and mythology have always been at the heart of India’s culture. In this process of passing on traditions, the myths originated in particular time periods have changed their forms and are being moulded according to contemporary needs and demands. The paper focuses on one such site of cultural and historical significance in the northern part of India– Salasar. It has now become one of the most popular religious and cultural sites. The place has rich oral history and is surrounded by various myths associated with Balaji in Salasar. The present paper aims to explore the prevalent myths enveloping this site and to analyse that how this place has acclimatised in accordance with the contemporary times and culture and thrive as popular mythical and miracle place.
References
Baumgartner, J., Lanczowski, G. B., & Fries, H. (1974). Myth and mythology. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 2(4), 195-200.
Feldhaus, A. (2023). Connected places: Region, pilgrimage, and geographical imagination in India. Primus Books.
Jhanjhnodia, S. L. (2016). Myth in early modern Indian literature: A brief survey. International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities, 4(9), 27-35.
Lutgendorf, P. (1994). My Hanuman is bigger than yours. History of Religions, 33(3), 211-245.
Lutgendorf, P. (2007). Hanuman’s tale: The messages of a divine monkey. Oxford University Press.
Nanda, M. (2009). The god market. Random House.
Saul, R. J. (2012). When one Hanuman is not another Hanuman: The case of Salasar Balaji. Journal of Vaishnava Studies, 21(1), 175-190.
Saul, R. J. (2013). Gods for the modern era: The rise of miracle shrines in northwestern India (Doctoral dissertation). University of Michigan.
Saul, R. J. (2022). Merchants, ritualists, and bifurcated Hanumans: A cultural history of miracle deities in Rajasthan. International Journal of Hindu Studies, 26, 362-391.
Thompson, S. (1955). Myth and folktales. The Journal of American Folklore, 68(68), 482-488.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Manisha Yadav, Rekha Rani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
