Upinder Singh urges us to abandon simplistic stereotypes and instead think of ancient India in terms of the coexistence of five powerful contradictions-between social inequality and promises of universal salvation, the valorization of desire and detachment, goddess worship and misogyny, violence and non-violence, and religious debate and conflict. She does so using a vast array of sources including religious and philosophical texts, epics, poetry, plays, technical treatises, satire, biographies, and inscriptions, as well as the material and aesthetic evidence of archaeology and art from sites across the subcontinent. Singh's scholarly but highly accessible style, clear explanation, and balanced interpretations offer an understanding of the historian's craft and unravel the many threads of what we think of as ancient Indian culture. This is not a dead or forgotten past but one invoked in different contexts even today. Further, in spite of enormous historical changes over the centuries, the contradictions discussed here still remain.

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It's difficult to understand ancient civilizations when they lived so differently than we do today. This volume makes ancient India relevant by describing the day-to-day lifestyles of people of the Indus Valley Civilization, the Maurya Empire, and the Gupta Empire. Readers will learn about the roles of women, men, and children; what their homes looked like; the clothes they wore; their grooming habits; and what they liked to eat. With engaging text, rich and colorful illustrations, and an enhanced e-book option, this title is a valuable research resource for reports.

India is a land of staggering diversity where ethnicity, culture, religion and language come together in a dazzling kaleidoscope of humanity. The North, South, East and West have their own distinct cultures and almost every state has carved its own cultural niche. This book takes you on a magical journey of celebrating the vibrant cultural diversity of India. If you are an Indian, or a foreigner and are visiting India, it is important that you take note of certain things. INDIAN ETIQUETTE - A Glimpse into India’s Culture throws light on the culture, customs, language, society, manners, and values— all helping you to understand the people and the vibrant country of India! Experience the Magic of each state and Celebrate the Culture of India with our author, trainer, coach and consultant Ms. Niraalee Shah.

This Book Is An Attempt To Remember Our Venerable Ancestors Who Have Shaped Our Cultural Consciousness. Also Depicted Are The Symols Of Our Culture. A Fully Coloured Book With Photographs And Illustrations.

To scholars in the field, the need for an up-to-date overview of the art of South Asia has been apparent for decades. Although many regional and dynastic genres of Indic art are fairly well understood, the broad, overall representation of India's centuries of splendor has been lacking. The Art of Ancient India is the result of the author's aim to provide such a synthesis. Noted expert Sherman E. Lee has commented: –Not since Coomaraswamyês History of Indian and Indonesian Art (1927) has there been a survey of such completeness.” Indeed, this work restudies and reevaluates every frontier of ancient Indic art _ from its prehistoric roots up to the period of Muslim rule, from the Himalayan north to the tropical south, and from the earliest extant writing through the most modern scholarship on the subject. This dynamic survey-generously complemented with 775 illustrations, including 48 in full color and numerous architectural ground plans, and detailed maps and fine drawings, and further enhanced by its guide to Sanskrit, copious notes, extensive bibliography, and glossary of South Asian art terms-is the most comprehensive and most fully illustrated study of South Asian art available. The works and monuments included in this volume have been selected not only for their artistic merit but also in order to both provide general coverage and include transitional works that furnish the key to an all encompassing view of the art. An outstanding portrayal of ancient Indiaês highest intellectual and technical achievements, this volume is written for many audiences: scholars, for whom it provides an up-to-date background against which to examine their own areas of study; teachers and students of college level, for whom it supplies a complete summary of and a resource for their own deeper investigations into Indic art; and curious readers, for whom it gives a broad-based introduction to this fascinating area of world art.