All tagged devotion

Book Review: Mapping the Complexities and Adaptability of Devotional Practices

Lalita Waldia, Project Coordinator, People For Himalayan Development, Himachal Pradesh, India, reviews the book "Clothing as Devotion in Contemporary Hinduism" by Urmila Mohan that explores the profound connection between material culture and religious devotion within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The book delves into various elements of ISKCON’s practices, focusing on how clothing, body marks, japa beads, and other material artifacts are integral to the religious lives of its followers. The central thesis of Mohan’s work is that these material objects are not mere accessories but play a crucial role in expressing and cultivating devotion, encapsulated in the concept of “efficacious intimacy.”

Anchoring Devotion in a Layered Terrain - Bartolo Longo and the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in Pompeii

Jessica Hughes introduces her ongoing research project on the Catholic sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in Pompeii, Italy. Focussing on the writings of the sanctuary’s founder, Blessed Bartolo Longo (1841-1926), she explores how far early devotion at Pompeii was anchored within the local terrain – a complex, enchanted landscape made up of multiple layers, both historical and geomorphological. In doing so, she also thinks about how the many international devotees of this Italian Madonna have developed material techniques for connecting with the deeply sacred landscape of the Pompeian Valley.