This book analyses the diverse ways in which women have been represented in the Purāṇic traditions in ancient India – the virtuous wife, mother, daughter, widow, and prostitute – against the socio-religious milieu around CE 300–1000. Purāṇas (lit. ancient narratives) are brahmanical texts that largely fall under the category of socio-religious literature which were more broad-based and inclusive, unlike the Smṛtis, which were accessible mainly to the upper sections of society. In locating, identifying, and commenting on the multiplicity of the images and depictions of women’s roles in Purāṇic traditions, the author highlights their lives and experiences over time, both within and outside the traditional confines of the domestic sphere. With a focus on five Mahāpurāṇas that deal extensively with the social matrix Viṣṇu, Mārkaṇḍeya Matsya, Agni, and Bhāgavata Purāṇas, the book explores the question of gender and agency in early India and shows how such identities were recast, invented, shaped, constructed, replicated, stereotyped, and sometimes reversed through narratives. Further, it traces social consequences and contemporary relevance of such representations in marriage, adultery, ritual, devotion, worship, fasts, and pilgrimage. This volume will be of interest to researchers and scholars in women and gender studies, ancient Indian history, religion, sociology, literature, and South Asian studies, as also the informed general reader.

The claim, often made, that India--uniquely among civilizations--lacks historical writing distracts us from a more pertinent question, according to Romila Thapar: how to recognize the historical sense of societies whose past is recorded in ways very different from European conventions. In The Past Before Us, a distinguished scholar of ancient India guides us through a panoramic survey of the historical traditions of North India. Thapar reveals a deep and sophisticated consciousness of history embedded in the diverse body of classical Indian literature. The history recorded in such texts as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is less concerned with authenticating persons and events than with presenting a picture of traditions striving to retain legitimacy and continuity amid social change. Spanning an epoch of nearly twenty-five hundred years, from 1000 BCE to 1400 CE, Thapar delineates three distinct historical traditions: an Itihasa-Purana tradition of Brahman authors; a tradition composed mainly by Buddhist and Jaina scholars; and a popular bardic tradition. The Vedic corpus, the epics, the Buddhist canon and monastic chronicles, inscriptions, regional accounts, and royal biographies and dramas are all scrutinized afresh--not as sources to be mined for factual data but as genres that disclose how Indians of ancient times represented their own past to themselves.

In India, the birthplace of some of the world's major faiths and home to many more, religion is a way of life, existing as much in temples, mosques, churches and wayside shrines as it does in social laws, cultural practices and the political arena. Bringing this complex and fascinating subject into easy access through essential facts and figures, clear, concise definitions and up-to-date information on recent religio-political developments, "The Penguin Dictionary of Religion in India" is the first single-volume dictionary to provide a comprehensive account of every major religion practised in the country today. From Somnatha Temple and Babri Masjid to Golden Temple and Akali Movement; from Shariat and Eucharist to Shabbat and Nirvana; from Dalai Lama and Adi Shankaracharya to Osho and Art of Living - this meticulously researched work of reference covers a vast range of topics, placing each faith in its historical context and tracing its evolution from its inception up to the present.

This book provides a comprehensive survey of the Hindu tradition, dealing with the history of Hindusim, the sacred writings of the Hindus, the Hindu worldview, and the specifics of the major branches of Hindusim—Vaisnavism, S aivism, and S aktism. It also focuses on the geographical ties of Hinduism with the land of India, the social order created by Hinduism, and the various systems of Hindu philosophio-theological thought. Klostermaier describes the new development of Hinduism in the 19th and 20th centuries, including present-day political Hinduism and the efforts to turn Hinduism into a modern-world religion. A unique feature of this book is its treatment of Hinduism in a topical fashion, rather than by chronological description of the development of Hinduism or by summary of the literature. The complexities of Hindu life and thought are thus made real to the reader. Hindus will recognize it as their own tradition. A glossary and a chronological table are useful additional features.

The Candellas of Bundelkhand formed one of the most prominent dynasties that flourished for some centuries before the establishment of Islam as an Imperial Power in this sub-continent. They are known in history not only for their political sagacity, but also for their direct association with the art and architecture that developed in Khajuraho and its neighbourhood. The book deals, in a comprehensive manner, with the history of the early rulers of Khajuraho, in fourteen chapters. Chs. I and II deal with the origin of the Candellas and define their territory. Ch. III traces their history from Nannuka to Harsa. Chs. IV to VII recount the rise of their power under Yasovarman and Dhanga, their struggles with the Muslims under Ganda and Vidyadhara and their conflicts with Cedis under Vijayapala, Devavarman and Kirtivarman. Ch. VIII is devoted to the rulers from Sallaksanavarman to Madanavarman. Ch. IX describes Caha-mana- Candella rivalry and the fall of Mahoba. Ch. X deals with the temporary restoration of Candella power under Trailokya-varman. Chs. XI to XIV give a vivid picture of political, social, eco-nomic, religious and cultural life of Bundel-khand and offer a survey of its magnificent temples and sculptors.