19世紀インド・トラヴァンコールにおけるヒンドゥー王権と国家儀礼

Although many scholars have studied Hindu kingship, little attention has been paid to the state rituals of the princely states under British paramountcy. This essay examines various types of rituals and investigates the nature of Hindu kingship in Travancore, one of the major princely states in India.Many of the ceremonies performed in the nineteenth century were “invented” by Maharaja Martanda Varma in the mid-eighteenth century. Like many contemporary rulers in other areas of India, the Maharaja attempted to create a form of an autocratic state and radically transformed the political system within his kingdom. He also greatly expanded his territory by conquering the neighbouring states. Under these circumstances, the Maharaja revived and created a number of rituals in order to reinforce the legitimacy of his rule.The most important ceremony which Martanda Varma created was the dedication of the state itself Padmanabhan (Vishnu), the tutelary deity of his family. In 1850, he performed a ritual called Padiyettam, and then declared that he was a servant of the deity. After Martanda Varma, every new Maharaja performed this ceremony to clarify the “constitution” of the state. Other rituals relating to coronation were the Hiranyagarbham and the Tulapurusadanam. In both ceremonies, pure gold was used, which was distributed among the Brahmins afterwards. The Murajapam was also an important ceremony invented by Martanda Varma. It was held at Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple every six years, and thousands of Malayala Brahmins were invited there to recite Vedas. Also at the Temple, the Atattu festival was held twice a year, in which the Maharaja played an important role. In addition, the Travancore rulers performed a ritual relating to the goddess Bhagavati, who was supposed to rule “minor divinities and demons”.These rituals were indispensable for the state, which attempted to maintain and reinforce the Hindu-state ideology. They were therefore continued in the nineteenth century by spending huge sums of revenue