Buddha and Christ, Nativity Stories and Indian Traditions.
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The infancy narratives of the gospels of Matthew and Luke appear as a magnificent mosaic of allusions not only to the Hebrew Bible but also to Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions. Professor Thundy argues that many details of the infancy gospels as well as the rest of the gospels can be clarified by the Buddhist and Hindu scriptures. In this sense, the gospels are Eastern religious texts. Buddha and Christ covers the following topics in order: methodology of study, priority of Indian texts vis-à-vis Christian gospels, parallels of the birth narratives of Buddha and Jesus, uniqueness of Indian parallels, the Gnostic context of the Christian gospels, and contacts between India and the West in antiquity. Multicultural studies such as this encourage ecumenism and mutual understanding in East-West dialogues as well as reinforcing the view that the gospels should be taken seriously as Eastern religious texts.
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1 online resource. :
9789004378827
Traditions and Customs of the Indian Armed Forces : Revised and Enlarged Edition /
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The cohesion and the spirit-de-corps in the Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy and the Air Force) is fostered by various customs and traditions, which are reflected in the daily lives of their officers and men. They are not always legally binding but they are nonetheless followed willingly without coercion. There are traditions handed down from the past - Valour, Honour and Never to Surrender - that are intrinsic and resonate the lives of servicemen and image of their regiments and formations. On the other hand there are customs and traditions that regulate the lives of soldiers, sailors and airmen on a daily basis; military courtesies, dress and mess customs, regimental traditions, ceremonial drills and parades and the like. The various facets of customs and traditions of the armed forces were originally compiled by late Maj Gen Chand N. Das. The present volume has been inspired by the original and contains edited updated and enlarged facets that have been arranged in seven parts containing 33 chapters. Each chapter deals with different aspects of customs and traditions, viz., flags, colours and emblem, military uniform and dress customs, commemorative days, state and military funerals, battle honours, war memorials, medals and ribbons and so on.
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1 online resource (664 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752474
Scholar, Serpent, Yogin, and Devotee: The Many Faces of Patañjali in Indian Traditions /
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This study illuminates the many faces of Patañjali in Indian traditions. Often regarded as an incarnation of the cosmic serpent Ādiśeṣa or Anantanāga, Patañjali is celebrated, in both story and art, as a grammarian, scholar and practitioner of yoga, physician-alchemist, medical authority, teacher, ascetic, and devotee of the Dancing Śiva (Naṭarāja). The first three chapters examine the literary works attributed to Patañjali, explore legendary accounts and beliefs associated with this multifaceted figure, and survey temples and shrines dedicated to the sage. The following five chapters trace the development of Patañjali's iconography from its earliest forms in Tamilnadu, South India, to contemporary examples.
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1 online resource (200 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004743069
Indian diaspora : socio-cultural and religious worlds /
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The chapters presented in this volume represent a wide variety of Indian diasporic experiences. From indenture labour to the present day immigrations, Indian diasporic narrative is one that offers opportunities to evaluate afresh notions of ethnicity, race, caste, gender and religious diversity. From victim discourse to narratives of optimism and complexities of identity issues, the Indian diaspora has exhibited characteristics that enable us as scholars to construct theoretical views on the diaspora and migration. The cases included in this volume will illumine such theoretical ideas. The readers will certainly be able to appreciate the diversity and the depth of these narratives and gain insight into the social and cultural and religious world of the diaspora.
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1 online resource (xiii, 361 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004288065 :
1573-4293 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Kaṭṭaikūttu : The Flexibility of a South Indian Theatre Tradition /
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This book gives an insight into Kaṭṭaikkūttu, a living Tamil theatre tradition. Taking the perspective of performers as a starting point, it analyses how this theatre tradition has been able to adjust itself to changing conditions and challenges because of its inherent flexibility. The phenomenon of flexibility pervades both the formation and internal arrangements of theatre companies and the actual performances themselves. The first part of the book focuses on Kaṭṭaikkūttu in its historical and social context. It traces the theatre's disengagement from its organic embedding in the social and ritual village organization and its transition towards a more autonomous and more professional regional theatre form during the last fifty to hundred years. This transformation was accompanied by processes of professionalization and commercialization, which had their impact on the practitioners and the performances. The second part of the book provides a detailed analysis of the working of oral Kaṭṭaikkūttu texts in performance. Through a flexible handling of the oral - verbal and musical - material within the boundaries of a relatively fixed framework underlying these texts, Kaṭṭaikkūttu performers try to fulfill to the best of their abilities the demands of sponsors, audiences and occasions.
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Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004644922
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
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
Indian Fairy Tales /
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India is a land of vast ocean of literature written by prominent writers in classical and vernacular languages from ancient times to date. This volume comprises of 14 Indian tales picked from various outstanding classical texts such as Jatakas, Kathasaritasagara, Panchatantra, and various local folklores collected from Punjab, Kashmir, Baluchistan, etc. These tales were translated into English to understand Indian culture and literature. Beneficial for linguists, language experts, and research scholars interested in Indian vernacular tradition.
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1 online resource (292 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004753846
Female Stereotypes in Religious Traditions.
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This volume contains a collection of studies describing and analyzing stereotypes of women in the religions of Ancient Israel and Mesopotamia, and in Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Medieval Christianity, Islam, Indian Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Tibetan religions, and modern Neopaganism. In all these traditions the stereotypes are based on generalizations, which are socially, culturally or religiously legitimized, and which seem to have a lasting influence on society's conceptions of women. They represent oversimplified opinions, which are, however, regularly challenged by the women who are affected by them. In all traditions the stereotypes are ambiguous, either because women have challenged their validity, or because historical developments in society have reshaped them. They influence public opinion by emphasizing dominant views, as a strategy to restrain women and to keep them controlled by the rules and morals of a male-dominated society.
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1 online resource. :
9789004378889
South Asians in the Diaspora, Histories and Religious Traditions.
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This volume deals with a phenomenon of increasing global significance, the South Asian diaspora. In particular it deals with the role of religion. The diversity of religious life in South Asia is remarkable and much of this diversity is replicated in the diaspora communities around the world. The case studies in this book explore and analyse the social, religious and cultural reality of people in the diaspora belonging to Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism and originating from four of the South Asian nation states (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). The book highlights the religious diversity that exists in the diaspora communities both across the traditions and within the particular religions.
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1 online resource. :
9789047401407
Indian Federalism in the New Millennium /
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The Indian federal system has been dynamic in accommodating political and societal changes since its constitutional blueprint was drawn in 1949-50. However, there has been a fundamental transformation in the operative principles of federalism particularly during the last decade or so. The rhythm and the beat of the political system, and of the federal system within it, has changed on account of a variety of socio-economic and political factors, but primarily because of a disarray of the party system, neo-liberal economic policies, and judicial decisions. The centralizing thrust of the earlier years has yielded to some kind of a 'confederal' operation of the political system, making the formulation and implementation of public policies a 'consociational' exercise between political elites at the two levels of government-central and provincial-with the third, now constitutionally entrenched level-local institutions of self-government-waiting in the wings. The eighteen papers in this volume, written by experts in the field, reflect on the new and emerging trends in Indian federalism in particular and in the Indian political system in general in the larger context of global and regional changes.
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1 online resource (448 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752542
The Sacred Mountain of Colombia's Kogi Indians /
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The Kogi Indians of the Sierra Nevada, an isolated mountain massif of northern Colombia, have preserved much of their cultural heritage, notwithstanding the onslaught of outside influences. To the casual observer their austere and withdrawn way of life presents a picture of abject poverty but long-term ethnological study reveals dimensions of inner depth which are evidence of a very rich and cherished tradition going back to pre-Conquest times. Kogi cosmogony and cosmology, their religious philosophy, and their interpretation of nature, as described by men of priestly training, bear witness to a creative imagination of great power. This study tells us of their macrocosm and microcosm; the structure of the universe and the spinning of cotton thread; time-space concepts and the symbolism of a small gourd vessel; biological cycles and temple architecture, and all this within the compass of a sacred mountain which to the Kogi is the centre of the universe. The ethnological importance of this essay is equalled by its value to the Humanities, and opens a new dimension of Amerindian studies.
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1 online resource (98 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004420533
Farāmarz, the Sistāni Hero : Texts and Traditions of the Farāmarznāme and the Persian Epic Cycle.
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In Farāmarz, the Sistāni Hero Marjolijn van Zutphen discusses the manuscripts, storylines and main themes of the shorter and the longer Farāmarznāme (c. 1100), in relation to Ferdowsi's Shāhnāme and several other later maṡnawis about the warriors from Sistān (the Persian Epic Cycle). Farāmarz, a secondary figure of the Shāhnāme , gained importance in later epic traditions and as the invincible protagonist of both Farāmarznāmes reached a status that equalled, if not surpassed, that of his famous father Rostam. Van Zutphen further shows how Farāmarz displays parallels to the fictional figures of Garshāsp (his ancestor) and Eskandar and argues that some story elements of Farāmarz's Indian conquest may be rooted in historical events from both the Parthian and the Ghaznawid period.
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Description based upon print version of record.
7 Conclusion. :
1 online resource (790 pages) :
9789004268289 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
From Bactria to Taprobane : Selected Works of Osmund Bopearachchi. Volume II: Art History and Maritime Trade /
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The second volume of Osmund Bopearachchi has articles and monographs on Central Asian and Indian art, South Indian and Sri Lankan art and finally maritime trade in the Indian Ocean. While documenting thousands of coins in the Pakistani markets from 1992 onwards, Bopearachchi realised that one has to go beyond the traditional approach of simply cataloguing coins, and as a result he has made an attempt to link numismatics with sculptural and pictorial iconography. His studies on Utpalavarnā, the courtesan who later became a bhiksunī (Buddhist nun) and on the earliest iconography of Hindu gods like Śiva, Brahmā, Vi]s]nu and Varāha have revolutionised our knowledge of these domains. His writings giving the results of the archaeological excavations and explorations carried out by the Department of Archaeology and the French Archaeological Mission in Sri Lanka along the estuaries and rivers provide substantial evidence to indicate that in ancient times large ships could cast anchor in the sea close to river mouths and commodities were taken to inland markets using the rivers and waterways. His work also shows how the movements caused by these human activities have amalgamated local traditions with foreign identities and created new forms of art and belief. His research on sculptures imported to the island from Amarāvatī-Nāgārjunakonda deals with the inspiration of these schools of art over the early forms of Buddhist sculpture in Sri Lanka. The different architectural aspects of the royal palace complex of Sigiriya, built by King Kassapa (477-95 CE) clearly demonstrate that various external ideas and concepts were used to convert this huge lofty rock into a more elaborate harmonious whole, in another words, a paradise or an Alakmanda.
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1 online resource (480 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004752146
Bridging the Gulf : Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Western Indian Ocean /
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The volume presents papers by archaeologists, anthropologists, historians and heritage specialists and highlights the multi-layered meaning of maritime cultural landscapes. The authors shift the emphasis from understanding heritage in its local context to discussing it across the waters of the Arabian Sea. The relationship between the sea and the land underlines the centrality of the coast; the communities who inhabited the space between the ocean and the hinterland; their histories and attempts at constructing their cultural environment. An important component of this cultural landscape is monumental architecture and archaeological sites, as also their inter-linkage with travelling groups who moved both across the sea, as well as on routes into the interior. A common concern that all papers share is with definitions of maritime heritage; different articulations of social and political power; and regional and local nautical traditions. One of the objectives of this volume is to underscore the important role of World Heritage, especially sites and monuments located along the coasts that have already been identified as national treasures by individual Nation States. The objective is to bring these coastal monuments and structures into dialogue with those located across the Ocean for a holistic understanding of maritime cultural heritage of the western Indian Ocean. It is suggested that this dialogue across the seas, would help in the protection and preservation of a maritime heritage known for its 'outstanding universal value'.
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1 online resource (228 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004753235
Sacred Landscapes in Asia : Shared Traditions, Multiple Histories /
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Throughout history the peoples of Asia have been known for their mobility and interactions. The notion of territorially defined nations is historically recent. There was a continuing dialogue between Asian cultures which functioned at both the spatial and the temporal level, propelled by the movement of the great religions of Asia across continents via trading communities, clergies, Buddhist and Sufi scholars and communities of artisans. The present volume explores the aesthetic theories underlying many genres of the Asian arts. These characterize the dialogue between and amongst different Asian regions. The same Asian notions of space and time are manifested in architectural form as also in a wide variety of visual arts. The contributors in this volume identify the multi-layered discourse comprising the nature of monuments, as also the movement of motifs and symbols through sculptured and picturised representation. Some essays focus on fundamental notions such as Śūnyata as common to the Indian, Korean and other Asian countries. Also, the papers bear testimony to the phenomena of dialogue and distinctiveness, continuity and change. This is evident in architectural structures, sculptural forms, particularly in iconography, and of course in the performing arts. The IIC-Asia Project in its second phase has, with purpose, traced the trajectory of transmission systems in Asian civilization in different domains and at different levels, be it the vertical transmission from generation to generation in education, or the artistic transmission and diffusion through the arts. It is hoped that this volume will add to the meager literature that exists on the subject and will stimulate further research and study.
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1 online resource (408 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004753228
Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion : As Illustrated by Some Points in the History of Indian Buddhism /
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This book was published under the Hibbert Lecture Series, 1881. The volume talks about Buddhism, its origins, and its development as a mainstream religion. The first lecture talks about philosophy during its emerging stage, and it is discussed in parallel to certain concepts which were prevalent before Buddhism such as monotheism, transmigration, pantheism, animism, polytheism, and other reformation made before the establishment of Buddhism, etc. This series also covers the assessment of certain Buddhist canons like Pali pitakas and discusses the fundamental Buddhist concepts such as karma. Also, the hagiographical literature of Buddha and various forms of Buddhism practiced post-Buddha's death are discussed in this lecture series. Overall, this book is written from the perspective of comparative studies with non-Buddhist traditions prevalent during the Buddha's period and afterward.
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1 online resource (280 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004753150
Storytelling, Seafaring, and Travel Writing : The Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean /
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Storytelling, Seafaring, and Travel Writing advances research on Islamic travel writing, with a particular concentration on the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. Ranging from the late antiquity to the present, this collection explores how storytelling, travelogues, and seafaring narratives have contributed to cultural discourses and intellectual traditions. By examining Arab seafaring and travel from new angles and through cross-cultural and interdisciplinary lenses, these essays challenge conventional interpretation. Essential for scholars and researchers in Islamic studies, philosophy, literary analysis, and cultural history, it illustrates how real and imagined narratives have profoundly influenced cross-cultural exchanges and the construction of moral and cultural paradigms over time.
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1 online resource (140 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004736863
Aquatic adaptations in Mesoamerica : subsistence activities in ethnoarchaeological perspective /
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This text explores the subsistence strategies that ancient Mesoamericans implemented to survive and thrive in their environments. It discusses the natural settings, production sites, techniques, artifacts, cultural landscapes, traditional knowledge, and other features linked to human subsistence in aquatic environments.
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Also issued in print: 2022. :
1 online resource (280 pages) : illustrations (colour). :
Specialized. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9781789699128 (PDF ebook) :