Travel writer Philip Ward, who has explored fifty countries around the world, takes the reader to northwest India to discover the wonders of the state of Rajasthan and the cities of Agra and Delhi. Rajasthan, known as the Country of the Princes, is the nation's most popular tourist destination. This guide reveals the surprises of Delhi, a great twentieth-century Asian capital with a complex past, and explores the expected and unexpected pleasures of Agra, with its Taj Mahal and I'timad ad-Daula, Red Fort, and teeming bazaars. Here, too, are familiar destinations such as Jodhpur and Pushkar, as well as such off-the-beaten-track jewels as Kishangarh, Dig, Kumbhalgarh, Bundi, Kota, and Chittor. Intended for first-time visitors as well as experienced travelers, Northern India: Rajasthan, Agra, Delhi provides helpful and thoughtful observations on India's main attractions.

The genre of Rajput painting flourished between the 16th and 19th centuries in the kingdoms that ruled what is now the Indian state of Rajasthan (place of rajas). Rajput paintings depicted the nobility and court spectacle as well as scenes from Krishna’s life, the Hindu epics, and court poetry. Many Rajput kingdoms developed distinct styles, though they shared common conventions. This important book surveys the overall tradition of Indian Rajput painting, while developing new methods to ask unprecedented questions about meaning. Through a series of in-depth studies, Aitken shows how traditional formal devices served as vital components of narrative meaning, expressions of social unity, and rich sources of intellectual play. Supported by beautiful full-color illustrations of rare and often inaccessible paintings, Aitken’s study spans five centuries, providing a comprehensive and innovative look at the Rajasthan’s court painting traditions and their continued relevance to contemporary art.

The splendour of Rajasthan's richly appointed palaces, majestic forts andraditional mansions is revealed in this lavishly illustrated book. Georgeichell explores the fascinating royal architecture of this desert state ofndia from the 15th to the 20th century, focusing on the major capitals ofajput power - Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner - as well as otherentres such as Bundi, Kota, Jaisalmer, Alwar and Shekhawati. Also featuredre the Jat states of Bharatpur and Dholpur. Antonio Martinelli's stunninghotographs survey architectural developments in Rajasthan over a period ofore than five hundred years, providing a detailed visual record ofagnificent facades and opulent interiors. His photographs evoke the grandeurf Rajput courtly life at its height, be it imposing darbar halls whereaharajas held formal audience, or mirrored apartments where they enjoyedore private entertainments. Though the royal complexes are today shadows ofheir former glory, the memory of this greatest age in Rajasthan's historynd its extraordinary palace architecture endures to the present day.

The phenomenon of caste has probably aroused more controversy than any other aspect of Indian life and thought. Susan Bayly's cogent and sophisticated analysis explores the emergence of the ideas, experiences and practices which gave rise to the so-called 'caste society' from the pre-colonial period to the end of the twentieth century. Using an historical and anthropological approach, she frames her analysis within the context of India's dynamic economic and social order, interpreting caste not as an essence of Indian culture and civilization, but rather as a contingent and variable response to the changes that occurred in the subcontinent's political landscape through the colonial conquest. The idea of caste in relation to Western and Indian 'orientalist' thought is also explored.

A catalogue to accompany an exhibit held at the museum from March to July 1997. Color reproductions of 83 paintings are presented chronologically rather than in the usual separate sections on Mughal, Deccani, Rijput, and Pahari traditions. Kossak, associate curator of Asian art at the museum, offers an introductory essay. Distributed in the US by Harry N. Abrams. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Study of Jodhpur (Princely State) during the period 1600 A.D. to 1900 A.D.

Concerned with the process in Hinduism of reinterpreting classical texts and imbuing them with new inspiration. An example par excellence is Hariram Vyas's Ras-pancadhyayi, the earliest known Braj Bhasa version of the five chapters of Bhagavatapurana on Krsna's Dance with the Gopis.