Art & Architecture (136)

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    The Great Temple of Madurai Meenakshi by: Thiruppugazh Amudhan Valayapettai Ra. Krishnan 1,260.00
    MADURAI the name at once evokes a feeling of devotion and awe; devotion towards Mother Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwarar, the presiding deities at the most famous Madurai Meenakshi Temple of Tamil Nadu and awe at the long, uninterrupted history of literature, art and architecture that flourished in this temple town from pre-Christian era to the present day. That the divine grace and compassion of Goddess Meenakshi pervades and permeates through every aspect of life in this region, can be the only reason that through several. changes of dynastic rules, wars and vicissitudes, Madurai has been the centre of attraction for thousands of years to pilgrims and tourists, traders and travellers, Kings and commoners from all over the world.
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    Baolis, bawadis, keres, kulams, kundas, talaos, tankas, wavs, zings were a neglected lot in the oeuvres of Indian architects and art. This volume, devoted to their study, is heavily loaded with the design of various structures and other vital information. Every detail is assiduously analysed, compared and rechecked to present the dimensions, proportions and relationships of each of these structures.

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    The Iconography of Water by: Fredrick W. Bunce 1,035.00

    While numerous Indian monuments are well known in the annals of architectural research and excavation, a category of monuments – baoli, bawadi, kere, kulam, kunda, talao, tanka, wav and zing – was neglected in the oeuvres of architects and art. A few are familiar with the splendid beauty of the Surya Tank, Modhera; the vertiginous Canda Baoli, Abhaneri; the incomparable Rani-ki Wav, Patan; the magnificent Kalyani Tank, Hulikere; and the beautiful Rudabai-ni Wav, Adalaj. Thousands of such monuments are excellent in architectural beauty and design, apparently based on their primary utility – drinking, bathing, religious purification and ornamental (recreation).
    Water plays a quintessential role in the life of man. Its harvesting, preservation and careful use are of paramount importance, especially in those regions where rains are scanty. Thus took place the construction of these artificial water bodies. Many of them are within the precincts of temples and mosques, built in a time span of seventh to twentieth century ce.
    This volume, devoted to the study of water monuments, is heavily loaded with the design of various structures and other vital information. Every detail in this book is assiduously analysed, compared and rechecked to present the dimensions, proportions and relationships of each of the various elements of the structures. Thus it unravels a number of keys by which others can unlock the mysteries and beauties of these neglected monuments.
    It can be a precious collection for architects, historians, researchers and anyone who loves water bodies.

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    The Marwari Heritage by: D.K. Taknet 4,000.00
    The Marwari Heritage takes the reader of on a voyage of discovery of the Marwari who migrated from Rajputana, Haryana, Malwa and its adjoining region to other parts of India. They braved trials and tribulations in uncharted territories, supporting others of their community, never losing faith in their ability to succeed, and focused on their goal, they became the uncrowned kings, first of trade and business, and later of industry. They joined the freedom struggle with a true spirit of patriotism, philanthropy and active political involvement. Many courted imprisonment and even achieved martyrdom. Today the roots of Marwari community are deeply enmeshed in the social cultural and economic fabric of India. Their innate psyche of giving back to society has seen them donate generously to education, empowerment of women and vocational training leading to employment. At the helm of most successful entrepreneurial enterprises, they focus on innovation and technological advancement has resulted in governments of several countries seeking their advice on economic growth. Of the many who have left an indelible mark on the history, socio-political and economic foundation of the country this book is enriched with rich cameos of some of these ‘greats’ and the reader drives insight into numerous newly discovered and hitherto unrecorded facts. The younger generation of Marwari continue to dream big and build on the foundations their forefathers planted. They continue to grow from strength to strength marching toward new horizons. The plethora of welfare schemes and trust responsible for development of the nation’s needy continue to be monitored with precision. Meticulously researched over five year and richly illustrated with over 100 rare, coloured photographs, paintings, and 600 black & white photographs, illustrations and rare documents publish for the first time, readers have much to feast to have their eyes on. This pictorial book also served as an inspiration to any and everyone who dares to dream and reach for the skies.
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    The Sculptural Splendours of Meenakshi Temple by: Dr. V. Vedachalam, Dr. G. Sethuraman, 990.00
    Temples have been serving mankind not merely as places of worship, but also as community centres which care for the social, cultural and economic life of the people. Probably there is no other institution in India that can be compared to the temples for the various activities bearing on the life of the people who reside around it. Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple is a treasure house of art and culture. As a centre of traditional cultural activities, it is here that architecture, sculpture, painting, music, dance, literature, as well as the folk arts and crafts, received great encouragement over centuries and this continues even today. The architectural marvels and sculptural embellishments of the temples in India in general and those of South India in particular attract both foreigners and the natives. The Pallavas, Pandyas, Cholas and the Vijayanagar Nayak rulers produced excellent architectural monuments enshrining the beautiful sculptures of the divinities as well as the human beings, animals and birds in the Tamil country. Of such monuments, the great temple of Meenakshi Sundareshwarar at Madurai finds a foremost place with its exuberant structures and exhilarated carvings.
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    This volume on the burial silks, excavated from the sand dunes of Central Asia, offers a window to the history of a lost civilization revealing how the complex thread of interconnections linking East and West helped to shape new civilizations along the way.

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    The Silk Road Fabrics by: ArputhaRani Sengupta 3,600.00

    During the Roman Empire when pure silk was valued like gold, burials in Han China and Central Asia were furnished with luxurious fabrics. Application of Western motifs and designs in the newly developed Chinese silk technology led to the emergence of a unique patterned silk.Silk fabrics connecting the Mediterranean with inmost Asia allowed transmission of knowledge across the world of ideas and beliefs. Archaeology in the Age of Discovery unearthed the exceptional Silk Road Fabrics from graves and shrines spanning several centuries and across the vast continental expanse of Central Asia, Egypt, Europe, China, and Japan. To Sir Aurel Stein (1856–1935) and others the various types of textiles excavated from the sand dunes of Central Asia were worth the risks. The burial silks offer a window to the history of a lost civilization revealing how the complex thread of interconnections linking East and West helped to shape new civilizations along the way.

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    The Splendour of Srivilliputtur by: Chithra Madhavan 1,080.00
    The bustling town of Srivilliputtur is well known for its Vishnu temple dedicated to Vatapatrashayee and the adjacent temple for Andal and Rangamannar. The Vatapatrashayee temple is one of the famous Divya Desams or sacred places eulogized in the Tamil verses (pasurams) of the Alwars (twelve important devotees of Vishnu). The deity in this temple has received the encomiums of Perialwar and Andal who belonged to this place. The first chapter of this book details the traditional story (Sthala Puranam) of Srivilliputtur, while the next is about the two famous Alwars connected with this sacred place- Perialwar and Andal, with special reference to the literary works of Andal, namely the Thiruppavai and Nachiyar Thirumoli. There is a chapter on the Amuktamalyada, a well-known literary work in Telugu by Emperor Krishnadeva Raya of the 16th century C.E. The chapter on the architecture and sculptures of the Vatapatrashayee and Andal-Rangamannar temples gives the general layout of the two temples situated adjacent to each other and details about the various sanctums, images of deities enshrined therein, sculptures and paintings. Andal’s parrot (kili) is famous, especially in the Srivilliputtur temple. Its symbolism, importance, material of which it is made and various other details are the content of a chapter focusing on the parrot. Around Srivilliputtur are some small shrines which are connected with the main temples in this town. These find mention in a separate chapter.
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    The Supreme Lord by: D. Kiran Kranth Choudary 1,260.00
    It deals with controversies regarding the identity of the idol of Lord Venkatesa and given reasonable conclusions for the first time. The relevance of calling the Sri Venkatesvara shrine Svayamvyaktakshetram and the Lord therein Yajna Vishnu is well brought out here. Dasavataras of Vishnu and then how the Lord came to the Seshachala hill, Kaliyuga Vaikuntam as Kaliyuga Pratyaksha daivam, and the legendry accounts and Srinivasa kalyanam with Padmavati are detailed. When there are a number of hill ranges in Seshachala, the concept of the Seven Hills became popular, and their importance is discussed based on the Mahavedi (great fire altar) concept. Exclusive accounts on history, inscriptions, and architectural renderings of the temple, Anandanilayam, and their significance are given. The Supreme Lord’s physiognomy and reasons for His beautiful, serene appearance are explained.
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    The Three Great Living Temples by: Prof. S. Rajavelu, Ram Shankar, 1,260.00
    Three temples, the Rajarajiswaram at Thanjavur, the Gangaikondacholiswaram at Gangaikondacholapuram and Airavatisvara at Darasuram, are all living temples located within the Cauvery Delta region, the heart of Chola Empire. The tradition of temple worship and rituals established and practiced over a thousand years ago, based on still older Armie texts, continues daily, weekly and annually, as an inseparable part of life of the people.
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    The Netra Tantra “Tantra of the (Third) Eye (of Siva)”, also called Mrtyujit (Conqueror of Death), is one of the fundamental scriptures of non-dualist Kashmir Saivism or Trika. It is the only Tantra having the Third Eye of Siva as title and theme, and it contains three important chapters on Yoga, relating to three ways of overcoming death.
    This book, besides giving an introduction to the Tantra, contains an interpretation of the three chapters; Chapter 1 deals with the Eye of Siva, Chapter 7 with subtle Yoga, and Chapter 8 with supreme Yoga. The same texts are presented in Devanagari, transliteration and translation, including the eleventh-century commentary of Ksemaraja, illustrious disciple of Abhinavagupta. The Appendix contains illustrations of the theme of trinetra from different sources, mainly connected with Kashmir, as well as a comparative study on “The spiritual eye in the Christian mystical traditions”.
    This book is an important contribution to the studies on non-dualist Saivism or Trika, and especially to its Yoga.

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    The Yoga of Netra Tantra by: Bettina Sharada Bäumer, Shivam Srivastava (Editor), 1,530.00

    The Netra Tantra “Tantra of the (Third) Eye (of Siva)”, also called Mrtyujit (Conqueror of Death), is one of the fundamental scriptures of non-dualist Kashmir Saivism or Trika. It is the only Tantra having the Third Eye of Siva as title and theme, and it contains three important chapters on Yoga, relating to three ways of overcoming death.
    This book, besides giving an introduction to the Tantra, contains an interpretation of the three chapters; Chapter 1 deals with the Eye of Siva, Chapter 7 with subtle Yoga, and Chapter 8 with supreme Yoga. The same texts are presented in Devanagari, transliteration and translation, including the eleventh-century commentary of Ksemaraja, illustrious disciple of Abhinavagupta. The Appendix contains illustrations of the theme of trinetra from different sources, mainly connected with Kashmir, as well as a comparative study on “The spiritual eye in the Christian mystical traditions”.
    This book is an important contribution to the studies on non-dualist Saivism or Trika, and especially to its Yoga.

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    The book studies the 360 icons of the Chu Fo P’u-sa Sheng Hsiang Tsan pantheon — referring to a rare set of woodcuts distinct among Buddhist pantheons. It analyses the unique features of this pantheon, pointing out the significance of each figure in the mythological/theological framework and minutely describing the iconography of the images.

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    Tibetan Iconography of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Other Deities by: Lokesh Chandra, Fredrick W. Bunce, 5,040.00

    Beginning with a few aniconic symbols, like footprints, the Bo tree or stupas, in the pre-christian Indian art, Buddhism, over the centuries, came to evolve a be-wildering array of deities — in ever-increasing number of pantheons. Interestingly, in Buddhism today, there are perhaps as many pantheons as there are countries, or internal regions or sects within them. Chou Fo P’u-sa sheng Hsiang Tsan, in focus here, is one of these many Buddhist pantheons and acknowledgedly the ‘culmination of Lamaist art’. Authored by Rol. pahi.rdo.rje, alias Lalitavajra, (1717-1786): an imperial preceptor of Emperor Ch’ien-lung (1736-1795), it is a rare set of 360 wood-cuts/xylographs, representing varying forms and manifestations of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, tantric and tutelary deities, arhats, sages, teachers, dharmapalas and protective divinities. It is also accompanied by 360 `eulogies’ in Chinese. Two internationally distinguished scholars here team up to present afresh the Chou Fo p’u-sa Sheng Hsiang Tsan, aptly called ‘a unique pantheon’. Drawing together all the 360 wood-cut images in their vividly enlarged/enhanced versions — without compromising their aesthetic integrity, the book not only captures their subtle iconic devices, but spells out as well, in meticulous detail, all their iconic attributes, like body postures, faces, arms/hands, mudras, asanas, vahanas, companions, and whether clam or wrathful. The book also incorporates the names of each deity/deity-form in Sanskrit, Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Chinese. Unveiling, for the first time, the images of a veritably unique pantheon, in their enlarged format, and their accompanying Chinese eulogies, the book is bound to fascinate anyone concerned with Buddhist art and iconography.

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