Jaipur Nama is the story of one of India's most fascinating cities, as seen through the eyes of both its residents and its visitors, who witnessed and recorded different moments in Jaipur's history between the 18th and 20th centuries. The triumph, follies and foibles of its rulers, the passions and drama of palace intrigues, the splendor of royal rites and entertainments, and the bustle and energy of tis bazaars and ateliers, all come to life through the vivid and detailed accounts of chroniclers as diverse as an Austrian Jesuit, a French naturalist, a court priest, a city merchant and a pilgrim from Banaras. Many of these accounts are here translated into English for the first time. Each reflects a different aspect of Jaipur, together creating a captivating, kaleidoscopic portrait of the Pink City. Linking these narratives are the observations, experiences and perceptions of the author, Giles Tillotson, who skillfully weaves the past into the present as he writes about the personalities who shaped the character of the city, the wonders of its architectures, and the development of its superb arts and crafts. Entertaining as well as scholarly, Jaipur Nama will appeal to a wide readership. For those who know Jaipur or plan to go there, this book will sharpen and enrich their experience of the city, while armchair travelers will find it a delightfully witty and knowledgeable companion.

Jaipur, the glorious Pink City of India, sets many a hearts aflutter with visions of grandeur, valour, romance and beauty. This heritage city’s inherent historic charm has always been a major source of attraction. Travellers, poets and philosophers have lavished praise on it, and perhaps no other place is imbued with the richness of ritual and ceremony across the country, as Jaipur is. Among its numerous architectural wonders, the city’s Jantar Mantar (observatory) and Amber Fort have been included in United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s list of world heritage sites. The book elaborates on the lesser known aspects that have contributed to its coveted status of a heritage city. It also offers a glimpse into the lives of people, who have made a difference to this city through their contributions and have aided in making this wonderful city what it is today. The city is an integral element on the itinerary of any global traveller and a worthy venue for a ‘destination wedding’ in one of its numerous forts or palaces. Also in focus is Jaipur’s everevolving image as a new economic hub and a well-equipped modern metropolis. In this well-researched and meticulously documented book, the author presents a comprehensive picture of the city, bringing to light many hitherto unexplored facts that will interest those with a penchant for urban histories, their origin and their evolution. The book has been abundantly illustrated with more than 500 rare, coloured photographs and paintings, and 154 unseen black and white photographs and illustrations, to capture the imagination of a discerning reader.

This fully updated, major relaunch of Insight Guide Rajasthan will inspire you to visit this most evocative Indian state, the name of which summons up quintessential images of the India of popular imagination: forts, deserts and palaces. Published in 2017, this is a comprehensive full-colour guide to this vibrantly colourful Indian state. Inside Insight Guide Rajasthan: A fully-overhauled, major new edition by our expert Rajasthan author. Stunning new photography that brings this breathtaking region and its people to life. Highlights of the state's top attractions, including tigers at Ranthambore National Park and the camel fair at Pushkar in our Best of Rajasthan. Descriptive region-by-region accounts cover the whole state from the pink city of Jaipur to the romantic white city of Udaipur and the golden desert city of Jaisalmer. Detailed, high-quality maps throughout will help you get around and travel tips give you all the essential information for planning a memorable trip.

The life of Krishna and his teachings have had a profound influence on the minds of the Indian people. The main aim of this volume is to present the life of Krishna as delineated in Indian art. This volume includes most of the best examples of Indian art to represent the episodes of his life.

The Rough Guide to Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra will guide you through India's most colourful and fascinating region, with reliable practical information and clearly explained cultural background. Whether you're looking for great places to eat and drink, inspiring accommodation or the most exciting things to see and do, this guide will provide your solution. Plus you'll find extensive coverage of attractions in the region, from the breathtaking palaces of Jaipur and Udaipur to the imposing forts of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, and the ever-astonishing beauty of the Taj Mahal to the fascinating treasures hidden in Old Delhi's backstreets. With clear maps, comprehensive listings and sections on arts and crafts, and forts and palaces, The Rough Guide to Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra is your ultimate companion on a visit to this captivating region. Make the most of your time on earth with The Rough Guide to Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra.

In Royal Umbrellas of Stone: Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art, Melia Belli Bose provides the first analysis of Rajput chatrīs ("umbrellas"; cenotaphs) built between the sixteenth to early-twentieth centuries. New kings constructed chatrīs for their late fathers as statements of legitimacy. During periods of political upheaval patrons introduced new forms and decorations to respond to current events and evoke a particular past. Offering detailed analyses of individual cenotaphs and engaging with art historical and epigraphic evidence, as well as ethnography and ritual, this book locates the chatrīs within their original social, political, and religious milieux. It also compares the chatrīs to other Rajput arts to understand how arts of different media targeted specific audiences.

Based on a vast, virtually unstudied archive of Indian writings alongside visual sources, this book presents the first history of music and musicians in late Mughal India c.1748–1858 and takes the lives of nine musicians as entry points into six prominent types of writing on music in Persian, Brajbhasha, Urdu and English, moving from Delhi to Lucknow, Hyderabad, Jaipur and among the British. It shows how a key Mughal cultural field responded to the political, economic and social upheaval of the transition to British rule, while addressing a central philosophical question: can we ever recapture the ephemeral experience of music once the performance is over? These rich, diverse sources shine new light on the wider historical processes of this pivotal transitional period, and provide a new history of music, musicians and their audiences during the precise period in which North Indian classical music coalesced in its modern form.

The speed and scale of urbanisation in India is unprecedented almost anywhere in the world and has tremendous global implications. The religious influence on the urban experience has resonances for all aspects of urban sustainability in India and yet it remains a blind spot while articulating sustainable urban policy. This book explores the historical and on-going influence of religion on urban planning, design, space utilisation, urban identities and communities. It argues that the conceptual and empirical approaches to planning sustainable cities in India need to be developed out of analytical concepts that define local sense of place and identity. Examining how Hindu religious heritage, beliefs and religiously influenced planning practices have impacted on sustainable urbanisation development in Jaipur and Indian cities in general, the book identifies the challenges and opportunities that ritualistic and belief resources pose for sustainability. It focuses on three key aspects: spatial segregation and ghettoisation; gender-inclusive urban development; and the nexus between religion, nature and urban development. This cutting-edge book is one of the first case studies linking Hindu religion, heritage, urban development, women and the environment in a way that responds to the realities of Indian cities. It opens up discussion on the nexus of religion and development, drawing out insightful policy implications for the sustainable urban planning of many cities in India and elsewhere in South Asia and the developing world.

The Visual Turn: South Asia Across the Disciplines explores new perspectives made possible by the evidence drawn from visual culture. This evidence is utilized by historians, literary analysts, anthropologists and, in a new way, art historians. Focusing on built environments within their urban contexts; the interactions of buildings, roads, and bodies; the meaning-making achieved through consumption of images (on their own or in concert with literary texts) all contribute to a much broader and deeper understanding of change in South Asia. Juxtaposed, these case studies not only approach their topics in a multi-disciplinary manner, but also make clear just what scholars from various disciplines can learn from each other to add nuance and depth to their own analyses. In the process, the authors demonstrate how the application of different methods and theorizing, when coupled with a fascinating range of types of evidence, contribute to a significant broadening of our abilities to interpret the past and the present. In particular, these essays bring new ways of thinking about cities as well as the multiple ways that visual culture contributes to individual and collective forms of identity-narratives that are negotiated at key moments of change in South Asia. Readers will see their own materials and historicized contexts with new eyes. This book was published as a special issue of South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies.

As digitalization meets local traditions, there is great potential for creative industries (CI) to promote economic and social development in middle- and low-income countries. This book explores the economic and cultural relevance of these industries in India. The book identifies key topics regarding cultural and creative industries in India, which has a rich cultural heritage and a young demographic and is undergoing swift socio-economic change. It contains the most sophisticated and comprehensive mappings of CI in India to date. It also features numerous case studies, which illuminate the growth of CI in India, its intersections with caste and gender, the central role of handloom, handicraft, and other local practices within communities, as well as the specific challenges in safeguarding and harnessing various creative industry assets to promote sustainable development and social change. Rich with empirical data, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of cultural studies, economics, history, social work, development studies, media studies, and South Asian studies.