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The Beautifully Indi...
The Beautifully Indian Hindu Mind
by: Harsha V. DehejiaThis book is a journey into that charmed and beautiful mind from which has arisen concepts and ideas, forms and textures, words and music, movement and stillness, philosophy and worship. myths and their celebrations.
$88.00
ISBN: 9788124610404
Year Of Publication: 2020
Edition: 1st Edition
Pages : 290
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 25
Weight: 1700
It is through the Indian aesthetic mind and its concepts of the beautiful that the Indian civilization can be best understood, for in that mind are pages of history and voices of the past, in it will be heard the sounds of our dancers and in it will be seen the colours of our fabrics, it is a mind which treasures the aroma of the earth for in it we shall find terracotta figures that will whisper stories of times gone by. In that ancient mind silent stones will speak of sthapatis who not only built temples but also havelis, in that very mind rivers will whisper of saints who meditated on its banks and also of mountains which will beckon us to caves where truth was discovered, in that pristine mind stars will talk to us of astronomers who counted them, in that radiant mind we will meet scribes who created beautiful manuscripts and painters who immortalised our gathas and kathas through their kalam.
This book is a journey into that charmed and beautiful mind from which has arisen concepts and ideas, forms and textures, words and music, movement and stillness, philosophy and worship. myths and their celebrations.
The book is lavishly illustrated and is a visual delight.
“As We Begin
Introduction
Drishti
Almond Eyes and Lotus
From Gajagamini to Mriganayani
Dhi
Shabdaranjan
Kama to Krishna
Venerating the Home and the Earth
The Body Beautiful
Time, Sacred and Secular
Ritu Samvad
Fabrics
Nirmalya
Vidai “
“The Beautifully Indian Hindu Mind”
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Assimilation of Brahmanism into Buddhism $60.00
Assimilation of Brahmanism into Buddhism is a research work on Buddhism and Buddhist art of early medieval period in India. Archaeological materials and literary records suggest that Buddhism had a continuous existence during the third century bce to the thirteenth century ce in India. Though early Buddhism was totally different in its doctrines and faith from the Brahmanical system, the Buddhism of today is a religio-philosophical system having assimilated and adopted new ideas and beliefs from the environment in which it was born and nurtured.
The introduction of Tantrism bought Buddhism and Brahmanism closer to each other. It opened the gate to the vast field of Buddhist iconography along with Tantric practices, deities, mudras and mandalas. Many of these were influenced by the Brahmanic idea of godhead and some were the combination of one or more ideas of Brahmanic divinities. There was assimilation of a number of factors between Brahmanism and Buddhism.
This scholarly volume addresses the different aspects of this assimilation process by getting into a historical study of Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism; outlining the political history, and socio-economic and religious changes during 300700 ce; scanning the political and economic background and the spreading of esoteric Buddhism; emergence of Vajrayana Buddhism; and providing a detailed sketch of Vajrayana images. -
Artisans and Craftsmen of Northern India $40.00
The basic aim of the book is to expose the major contributions of artisans and craftsmen in portraying the society in different perspectives. These artisans and craftsmen, were drawn mostly from the shudras, lower caste of the community, suppressed and have-nots section of the society, but were highly talented. The work is also designed to create interest among the reader and scholars alike, to understand the society of the period under reference through the immortal art of these creative people. The artisans such as potters, weavers, carpenters, architects, sculptors, brick-makers, metallurgy and metal workers, leather workers, painters, and the workers engaged in the profession of ivory, glass and mirror, perfume and cosmetic, musical instrument, oil, salt and liquor makers, etc. were the heroes of that time, who not only met the day-to-day requirement of the then society, but also portrayed different aspects of their life, in its true color, through their workmanship. It was the architect who designed and constructed houses to live in, as well as water tank, well and channel, royal building, stupa, temple and fort, bridge, pillar and rock-edict etc., which met the need of the society.
Today, we feel proud of the rich heritage of old Indian art and architecture, credit for which solely goes to the then artisan who crafted immortal creations. However, the invaluable contribution made by the historians in immortalizing their creations, by putting them in black and white, is no less important. It is the historian, whose mighty pen has immortalized not only Ashoka the great, as a king but also the creators of the stupas of his times on equal footings. It is with this aim in view that the present book has been presented to the posterity, in order to pay rich tributes to the creators of our rich cultural heritage.
Unluckly there was no proper institutionalized provision for the education of artisans and craftsmen, so generally the former adopted the occupation of their parents and hereditary skill was enhances as it was transferred from father to son, and generation to generation. Contemporary sources reveal that the social stautus of artisan class was based on the nature and economic conditions of a particular profession. -
Akbar, The Aesthete $120.00
Mughal miniatures are a vivid account of the cultural, sociopolitical scenario of the Mughal era. Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, the most powerful Mughal emperor, was a great aesthete and promoter of arts. Eminent Persian and Indian artists thronged his Royal Studio and were encouraged to paint numerous emotive miniatures of style and substance, communicating highly complex narratives. These miniatures are a beautiful manifestation of human expressions, vividly encapsulating moments of history for posterity.
This book combines the sources and methodology of history and art history of the Mughal era, and is an analysis of a select group of paintings of Akbar’s reign. The miniature paintings incorporate a wide variety of rich, vibrant and varied themes, ranging from durbar scenes, depicting Akbar in different moods and forms, the princes and nobles in their finery, hunting and battle scenes, elaborate scenes of royal births, construction scenes, ascetics, common man, and countryside scenes, to the flora and fauna. Individual analyses of these miniatures, shows the manner of their composition and the inherent value of their sociocultural content in a lively manner. These paintings became a passion and a diversion for Akbar, who had an innate aesthetic sense.
However, there are hardly any true-to-life paintings of women of the royal seraglio. This book thus attempts to cover some images of femininity, whether it is of Queen Alanquwa, Akbar’s mother, or of Madonna as sacred mothers, and women, per se, in different roles. These miniatures make one wonder how much these women contributed to the life of Mughal India.
This unique volume, having given transliteration and translation of the original Persian text of the miniatures, provides an insight into Akbar as an aesthete, and will help academics and laymen alike in appreciating the beauty and history of Akbar’s period. -
ABIA $60.00
Volume four contains 1344 records on South and Southeast Asia selected out of 1800 records from the ABIA South and Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology Index database. Volume four has been compiled by the ABIA project team at IGNCA New Delhi. It includes all forms of scholarly publications, ranging from survey works to small but important articles in composite books and journals published in India between 2006 and 2011. Subjects include pre- and protohistory, historical archaeology, ancient art history, modern art history, material culture, epigraphy and palaeography, numismatics and sigillography (seals). The bibliographic descriptions (with the original diacritics), keywords and annotations have made this reference work a reliable guide to recently published scholarly work in the field.
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Across the South of Asia $57.00
All too often, modern scholarship limits its scope according to the boundaries of contemporary nations and current geopolitical borders. Academic expertise frequently ties itself artificially to these pre-defined spaces and in so doing often does a disservice to the past. It is no great revelation to point out that people of the past defined the limits of their political and cultural reach in ways that were very different from those found on modern maps. Ancient rulers, merchants, and priests understood the reach of their influence and defined foreignness in ways that would be deeply unfamiliar to those only knowledgeable of the modern world. Yet, despite the well-recognized truth in these observations, it is still relatively rare for scholars to research in ways that transcend modern boundaries.
This collection of essays invites readers to take a broad view of South Asian art and culture by providing a wide geographic and chronological scope. The articles are united only by their focus on art historical and archaeological concerns and their concentration on South Asia ranging from Afghanistan to the island kingdoms of Indonesia. Each essay on its own constitutes a solid, well-grounded academic study, but taken collectively they provide a wide and inclusive view of issues of art and material culture that span the region and invite comparison.
By taking this approach, this volume is a tribute to Prof. Robert L. Brown whose lifetime of teaching has always emphasized connections as well as differences. Over his professional career, he has trained a large cohort of students (many of whom are contributors to this volume) whose expertise truly does reach across the south of Asia.
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