CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2022
| Author | Pattery, Theres Jois |
|---|---|
| Title | PALPUSTAKAM AND PARESMAN/PARASAMAN: A Study Of The Books Of Soothsaying And Magic Of St. Thomas Christians In Kerala (India) |
| Summary | This thesis is an introductory study of two books of magic – Pālpustakam or the book of Lots and Paresman/Paṟāsaman which were in use among the St. Thomas Christian community of Kerala, India from the sixteenth century onwards. By presenting five manuscripts which are studied for the first time, this thesis analyses in detail the traditions of divination and healing among the community. This study adds to the existing scholarship on the St. Thomas Christian community by introducing indigenous sources which were believed to have been lost as a result of prohibitions that were part of the process of Latinisation initiated in the sixteenth century. This thesis proves the survival of these traditions - Pālpustakam, Kaṅkettuvidya and Paresman - upto the late nineteenth century in Kerala. This research also indicates that, in the early modern period and even upto the late nineteenth century, the priests also played the significant role of healers and magicians within the community. The thesis also includes a complete transcription and translation one of the two Malayalam versions of Pālpustakam or the Book of Lots, condemned in 1599 by the Portuguese colonial authorities, from its original Malayalam into English. |
| Supervisor | Perczel, István |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2022/pattery_theres.pdf |
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