On the cult of Gaṅgā, Hindu deity.

Combining travelogue, science, and history, Ganga is an extraordinary journey through northern India: from the river's source high in the Himalayas, past great cities and poor villages, to lush Saggar Island, where the river finally meets the sea. Along the way Julian Crandall Hollick encounters priests and pilgrims, dacoits and dolphins, the fishermen who subsist on the river, and the villagers whose lives have been destroyed by her. He finds that popular devotion to Ganga is stronger and blinder than ever, and it is putting her--and her people--in great risk.

The eternity meshes with time and the slightness and impermanence of mortality greet the intricacies of immortality at the holy Mount Kailash. From time immemorial, before the dawn of civilizations, the sacred mountain Kailash has been visited by the followers of many faiths and main religions of Asia including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Bon religion to seek answers to their perpetual spiritual quest and to unravel the prevailing mysteries. The interest in Mount Kailash goes beyond faith and repeated attempts have been made to unravel the mysteries attached to it using possible modalities. The Western explorers developed an interest in the Kailash region during the past few centuries leading to several expeditions to the area resulting in scientific research gaining momentum in the late 20th and 21st centuries to unravel various mysteries. The saga of Mount Kailash goes much beyond the faith and spiritual aspect associated with it for centuries and to date instills awe and inspiration among humanity to unravel the secrets, myths and understand the underlying science of the Kailash phenomenon.

The worship of the Divine as another has an ancient history and persists in many cultures to the present day. The evolution of Goddess worship in India from the proto historic period to the Sixth century has been studied with relevant sculptural examples. A perusal of select texts provides a literary basis for this study. Further, the symbolic significance behind the icons comes to light by understanding the technical aspects of iconography. The book attempts to trace the various manifestations of the Devi such as Sri and Durga, from the historic, artistic and esoteric view points. The image becomes an icon to the faithful when installed in a temple with due rites. This has been exemplified by descriptions of select sites of Goddess worship in Karnataka.

The quality of our consciousness can go up or down based on how we see the world and act in it. When we act like the eternal spiritual beings that we are – small parts of a supreme whole – makes us happy. But if we focus our attempts at happiness on the temporary body and mind – on matter – and make those our life's priority, our consciousness will shrink and we’ll be miserable. Spiritual elevation – raising our consciousness to higher levels – happens quickly when we revive our God consciousness. In this compact book, Srila Prabhupada recommends seeing the world as it is – a temporary place full of anxiety – and then taking the road to higher consciousness by rediscovering our relationship with the Supreme Person, Krishna. Anyone can become elevated; the journey begins with a single step up.

A journey through the jungles of South India on the discovery of the mystical temples of the man-lion form of Vishnu known as Narasimhadeva

An enthralling virtuoso debut that eloquently captures the loves and losses of a dying man 'All the elements of great storytelling are here, the mystic transports of Ben Okri with the intimate charm of Arundhati Roy ... enchanting' Sunday Tribune 'Beautifully captures with great tenderness and depth the eternal war between duty and desire. This is a love letter to Bombay and its people' Sunday Express Vishnu, the odd-job man in a Bombay apartment block, lies dying on the staircase landing. Around him the lives of the apartment dwellers unfold - the warring housewives on the first floor, the lovesick teenagers on the second, and the widower, alone and quietly grieving at the top of the building. In a fevered state Vishnu looks back on his love affair with the seductive Padmini and comedy becomes tragedy as his life draws to a close.