Text references on 'kalasha/ kumbha/ ghaTa'

[Luis Gonzalez-Reimann]

You might want to take a look at elements of the Kumbha Mela, for which I
would suggest:


Bonazzoli, Giorgio.  Prayaga and its Kumbha Mela".  Purana 19: 81-179.  1977.

Sax, William S.  "Kumbha Mela".  The Encyclopedia of Religion,  vol. 8:
401-402.  Mircea Eliade, editor in chief.  New York: Macmillan, 1987.


Also, the following book (if I remember correctly) has some ideas about the
symbolism of the "puur.na kumbha."

Pannikar, Raymond.  The Vedic experience : mantramanjari : an anthology of
the Vedas for modern man and contemporary celebration / edited and ...
Berkeley : University of California Press, 1977.



Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
University of California, Berkeley

At 02:16 PM 7/30/97 BST, Marianna Kropf wrote:
>
>Dear members of indology list
>
>I am working on the use and symbolism(s) of 'kalasha/kumbha/ghata' in the
>ritual context. My main stress is on rituals the way they are executed
>nowadays. My main three categories are=20
>1) the pot/ vessel/ jar used as recipient of different substances (purified
>water, milky products,...) for ritual use;
>2) the pot/ vessel/ jar used as (temporary) seat of a deity (male or female)
>to be worshipped in this form;
>3) The symbolism of an earthen pot explicitly broken during a ritual
>(especially antyeshTi).
>
>Within such an 'All-over-India-topic' I would be very grateful to get some
>further references of text material (sources or other) concerning the
>following questions:
>
>a) references to passages dealing with the terms 'kalasha', 'kumbha' or
>'ghaTa' in connection with their size/form and material (shilpa shAstras and
>others);
>
>b) references to passages out of philosophical texts and subhAshya dealing
>with the vessel/ pot/ jar as a metaphor/ symbol (Advaita and other=
> traditions);
>
>c) passages to compare the vessel/pot/jar with the (human) body;
>
>d) references of texts/ ritual manuals - exept antyeshTi rituals - where the
>breaking of a pot is explicitly described (and interpreted).
>
>Any hint to one or the other point is most welcome - thank you so much!
>
>
>Marianna Kropf
>
>
>****************************************************************************
>******
>Marianna Kropf
>Universit=E4t Bern
>Institut f=FCr Religionswissenschaft
>L=E4nggassstrasse 51
>CH-3000 Bern 9
>
>
>
>