Pilger und Tempelpriester. Indische Wallfahrtsorganisation, dargestellt am Beispiel der südostindischen Tempelstadt Puri

Abstract

The construction of an indian temple is the pretense for large scale village endowments to the high brahmanical state experts of the Hindu regional kingdoms. This temple secures magical legitimity for the King with the help of a ritual of consumption. This ritual is based on the daily routine in the palace. In this way the God becomes a "Blow-up" of the King, the King a magical substitute of the God. Attracting pilgrims this temple undergoes two changes: A core of Hindu high culture grows into a vast temple compound of religious peasant folklore. The degraded brahmanical temple servants acquire the new role of feudal pilgrim-administrators and owners of "pilgrim-estates".