The Dance of Shiva : Fourteen Indian Essays /
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The Dance of Shiva by Coomaraswamy explores the metaphysical part of India. It explains India's contribution to the entire humanity. This book addresses the Indian ethos in a more detailed manner since Indian philosophy is often misinterpreted by the Westerners. Topics associated with fine arts, philosophy, and music are covered in this book; these include the Hindu and Buddhist perception of art from the aesthetical and historical points of view. Popular sculptures such as Nataraja, another incarnation of Shiva, represented as the God of dance, and multiple-armed images in Indian art are studied extensively. There is also a section on Indian music, which is also studied in great detail. Besides, this volume also covers the issue of the status of Indian women, Sahaja philosophy, the intellectual community, Indian youth, and individualism.
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1 online resource (224 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752368
The Origin of the Buddha Image /
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The image of Buddha in Gandhara style depicted in the padmasana pose, is one of the most popular images of the world. This image is connected with the symbol of Buddhism apart from the Ashoka Chakra. Throughout ancient India, Buddha's image gained popularity in the formation of Mahayana Buddhism. The major question that comes forth is how this art came into being during ancient times. This small volume on Buddhist art by Coomaraswamy challenges the notion that Buddha's image did not emerge from the Indo-Greek and other non-Indian art styles like Kushana or Bactrian. He asserts that Buddha's icon and its representation in various forms, found in monuments, sculptures, and other archaeological structures, was prevalent in the pre-existing Indian art forms. The book discusses the symbolisms, necessity of Buddha's image, and anthropomorphic iconography in the creation of Buddha's icons available in early India, and talks about the differences in Indian and historicity of Gandhara and Mathura art. The author writes further that Gandhara art is Indic, and not European. This book is highly recommended for scholars and researchers interested in Buddhist art.
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1 online resource (48 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752405
Early Indian Architecture : Cities and City Gates etc. /
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Indian architecture is diverse and rich in its nature. This volume by Coomaraswamy centres around Buddhist architecture in ancient India. Buddhist architecture was one of the remarkable features, which gave rise to the sacred architecture in India, as it developed during the Mauryan Empire, and subsequently went to other parts of East, Central, and South East Asia. This volume discusses the importance of city and city gates from the perspective of Buddhist architecture. The work is divided into two parts: Part I deals with cities and city gates, etc. while Part II is on the Bodhi-gharas, i.e. representations of the Bodhi tree with or without a temple structure. The book looks at the Pali literature, which includes tales from Jatakas depicted in stupas located at Bharhut, Sanchi, and Amravati. These three sites are known for their ancient Indian stupa architecture around the world, which gave rise to the traditional Buddhist stupa architecture. The author also cites references from medieval architecture, such as forts, situated in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and other parts to describe city architecture in ancient India.
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1 online resource (36 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752375
Early Indian Architecture : Palaces /
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Traditionally, Indian architecture is divided into sacred and royal structures. Palaces in the Indian subcontinent are the most important landmarks associated with Indian heritage. This slim volume focuses on the architectural features associated with prasada, or palace structures constructed during the ancient and medieval times. Coomaraswamy examines the features associated with palace structures such as pillars, walls, apartments, streets, gateways, quarters of the royal members, windows, arches, facades, etc., and the materials which were use for its construction. The author looks at both literary and archaeological evidences. The book also uses photographs and sketches of various palace structures located in Bharhut, Sanchi, Amravati, Mammallapuram, Bengal, and other parts of India to explain the features associated with Indian styles of palace construction. This book is highly recommended for students, archaeologists, and researchers interested in ancient and medieval Indian art and architecture.
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1 online resource (44 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752382
The Transformation of Nature in Art /
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The history of art in the Indian subcontinent, indeed, is highly rich in its content, aesthetical value, and ornated in nature. The study of art is one of the most popular themes developed in the scholastic world in the twentieth century. But how the nature of art is studied is something unique in its approach. Coomaraswamy writes in this volume which covers the study of art and how its reconstruction was assessed in Indian contexts. Beginning with the history of art in the theoretical sense, it covers the art forms practiced in Asia such as Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese, Islamic, and others forms in the initial part of the volume. Interestingly, he also discusses the famous medieval German Catholic theologian Meister Eckhart (c.1328) in terms of art in a theoretical sense. This volume covers the perspective of Indian arts, the concept of paroksha, which is an important term applied in Buddhism, and abhasa, or appearance, which is used in Hindu philosophy. The author also compares the Indian concepts of art with Western philosophy and thought, which is the most interesting part. The concluding part of this book covers the origins and usage of images in Indian art.
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1 online resource (252 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752412
A New Approach to the Vedas : An Essay in Translation and Exegesis /
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The Vedas , over the centuries, were interpreted in different forms by different sampradayas, mystics, legalists and religious reformers. It has been subjected to interpretation and re-interpretation by Vedic scholars such as Adi Shankaracharya, Sayanacharya, Mahidhara, Dayananda Saraswati and so forth. This small volume by Coomaraswamy is a comparative study of the Vedas with other traditions, such as Christianity, Gnosticism, Sumerian, Sufi and other religious traditions, which is a modern approach adopted for understanding relationships of non-Indian and Indian values. The text follows a pattern comprising verses and the commentaries made by the author. The book contains the selected verses taken from the Rigveda, Brhadaranayaka and the Maitri Upanishads, written on issues, such as cosmogony, ontology and teleology. Besides, Coomaraswamy offers his commentary based on the philological aspect, as the writers of the Vedas did not have previous knowledge of metaphysics, but had developed ontological knowledge from the existing Sanskrit sources.
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1 online resource (132 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752399
Viśvakarmā : Examples of Indian Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Handicraft /
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Viśvakarmā is a collection of select writings by the famous art historian Coomaraswamy on Indian sculptural art. This volume contains plates depicting Buddhist, Jaina, and Brahmanical forms of sculptural art. The book begins with a depiction of forms of Buddha and bodhisattvas (Avalokiteshvara, Tara [Ushnisha], Manjushri, Prajnaparamita, etc.), Shiva (Bhairava, Gangadhara, Nataraja, etc.), Devi (Durga, etc.), Vishnu (Balakrishna, Narasimha, etc.), and depiction of Jaina Tirthankaras, Trimurti, and Brahma. Also, we find the depiction of nagas, yakshas, apsaras, and masculine and feminine figures, including the description of the famous historical personalities like Krishnadeva Raya, Manikkavacagar, etc. The conclusive part of this book contains the animal figures including the animal incarnations of Buddha and Brahmanical deities. These art collection pictures were obtained from various Indian and international museums like the Archaeological Survey of India, Victoria and Albert Museum, etc., and from private collections of individuals. The book is highly recommended to students, instructors, museologists, and research scholars interested in Indian arts.
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1 online resource (140 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752429