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Stree Ek Kavya (Woma...
Stree Ek Kavya (Woman as Poem)
Surasundaris from Patan by: Harsha V. DehejiaSurasundaris on the walls of Rani-ki-Vav remind us that sensuality is the doorway to spirituality, that growth and fertility are as important as piety and devotion. The stepwell in Patan is perhaps the most admired structure of its kind and is a testament to the imagination and skill of the sthapati.
₹986.00
ISBN: 9788124609750
Year Of Publication: 2019
Edition: 1st
Pages : 88p.
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 25 cm.
Weight: 800
Surasundaris on the walls of Rani-ki-Vav remind us that sensuality is the doorway to spirituality, that growth and fertility are as important as piety and devotion, that even before we undertake dhyana of the deity in the sanctum or in different parts of the vav we must saturate our mind with the beautiful so that we can attain the state of serenity and purnatva.
Sensually evocative, beautiful from tresses to the toes, with eyes downcast, surasundaris are an expression of unsurpassed grace. They are a reminder that a woman is the most adorned expression of prakriti, that to indulge in it is to affirm our senses and enrich our mind, but the aesthetic journey does not stop there. The contemplative viewer will see the surasundari as a poem and a song, where every limb and every gesture are the lyrics, the texture of the stone is the rhythm, where metaphor is the key that will unlock the many meanings and suggestions.
The stepwell in Patan is perhaps the most admired structure of its kind and is a testament to the imagination and skill of the sthapati and as we walk through its many-tiered pavilion we almost hear the hushed voices of the queen and her retinue that stayed there away from menacing eyes and sweltering heat. Come, tread softly, as you are entering a hallowed space of beauty.
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Sale!Bagore-Ki-Haveli ₹86.00
Rajasthan boasts of many beautiful monuments and structures of the royalty which stand as evidence to Indias glorious ancient culture and heritage. The Bagore-ki-Haveli is one such edifice. The book takes us through the architectural wonders of the haveli to reflect what it had been the royal household of Maharaj of Bagore. With many splendid colour photographs of its impressive rooms, large balconies, wide terraces and attractive, leafy courtyards, it reconstructs the royal household and its functioning, customs and religious practices, costumes and ornaments, and arts and entertainment. It captures the artistic brilliance of the exquisite glass inlay work and paintings in the restored haveli including a gallery of Madhurastakam paintings describing the loveliness of Sri Krishna and his divine lover, Radha. The work highlights the charming style of the haveli that typifies the best of Mewari architecture but has a unique character of its own. The book, a visual delight presenting a glimpse into the royal lifestyle and splendour of the time, will be invaluable to historians studying the history, art and architecture of north India in the centuries before Indias independence and will also interest readers in general as well as tourists.
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Sale!Sanskrit Parsing ₹810.00
India has a rich grammatical tradition, still extant in the form of Panini’s grammar as well as the theories of verbal cognition. These two together provide a formal theory of language communication. The formal nature of the theory makes it directly relevant to the new technology called Natural Language Processing.
This book, first presents the key concepts from the Indian Grammatical Tradition (IGT) that are necessary for understanding the information flow in a language string and its dynamics. A fresh look at these concepts from the perspective of Natural Language Processing is provided. This is then followed by a concrete application of building a parser for Sanskrit using the framework of Indian Grammatical Tradition.
This book not only documents the salient pieces of work carried out over the last quarter century under Computational Paninian Grammar, but provides the first comprehensive exposition of the ideas involved. It fills a gap for students of Computational Linguistics/Natural Language Processing who are working on Indian languages using Paninian Grammatical Framework for developing their computational models and do not have direct access to the texts in Sanskrit.
Similarly for the Sanskrit scholars and the students it provides an example of concrete application of the Indian theories to solve a contemporary problem. -
Sale!Absence of the Buddha Image in Early Buddhist Art ₹1,350.00
It is next to impossible today to even think of Buddhism without the presence of the Buddha image! The image of the Buddha, in truth, has not only come to symbolise the essence of Buddhism but is also a brilliant expression of the cultural/artistic achievements of the Buddhists since ancient times. Surprisingly, the Buddha image developed at a later stage of the evolutionary process; after the parinirvana of the Buddha, the Buddhists for a considerable time beheld the Buddha and experienced him in their own minds without taking recourse to the Buddha image itself. In Absence of the Buddha Image in Early Buddhist Art, Dr. Tanaka, a well-versed scholar, has for the first time ever explored the absence of the Buddha image in Buddhist art particularly in the period from third century bc to late first century ad in order to rediscover the significance of this phenomenon. Dr. Tanaka observes Bharhut and Sanchi sculptures to point out the most essential motifs and elements of stupa-art design the visible facts pertaining to the absence of the Buddha image. The author studies the religious, philosophical, artistic and political significance of the visible facts, highlighting the concept of the empty throne as the motif representative of that absence. She applies the empty throne concept to the sanctuaries of monotheistic religions, and thus undertakes a comparative study of Buddhism and other religions, particularly, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism to suggest that present-day discussions on the linkage between religions can centre on this theme. The dexterous handling of the topic combined with the authors use of first-hand research material makes this an erudite study. The directness in the authors approach and the unwavering eye on the theme sustains the interest throughout. An abundance of visual material, i.e., drawings and photographs, and tables immensely aid in analysis of the visible facts. This intense work on a rich theme offers well-researched and interesting material that will be useful to scholars of religious studies, fine arts and even philosophy.
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This impressively illustrated volume brings forth the evergreen spirit of a Muslim ruler of Awadh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shaw (1822-87), in composing love poetry taking a cue from the amorous Krishna leela and assimilating and practising the same in personal life. A trained Kathak dancer himself and a dedicated patron of poetry, painting and performing arts, Wajid Ali Shah immersed in the rasa of dance, music and drama, and got deeply indulged in the many an expression of shringar, while administering the political affairs of his state.
Recalling the different facets of Nawab Wajid Ali’s life, the book explores the state and fame of Lucknow, of his times, where the Nawab lived a life of refinement and pomp, and attracted the best talents in arts and crafts. It also portrays how were dance and music enjoying pride of place during his reign.
While presenting a penetrating account of Ali Shah’s poetry, the book revisits his musical scholarship, history of his times and presents his poems with English translation. It as well showcases the best paintings centring around his personal and cultural life, and guides one go through the religious and cultural harmony prevailed in Awadh where a lot of factors were at play effecting acculturation between the Hindus and the Muslims, popularly known as the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb. -
Sale!Birds and Animals in Mughal Miniature Paintings ₹1,440.00
The depiction of flora and fauna has been an intrinsic part of Indian painting traditions. The Mughals in their turn, in their fascinating paintings, used the bird and animal imagery to lend a special quality to their art of painting. This book, with over 70 illustrations, is a survey of the birds and animals used in Mughal paintings, especially during the reigns of Emperors Akbar and Jahangir. With historical details, it shows that the depiction of various kinds of birds and animals played a significant role in conformity with the context or the demands of the narratives. The artists painted both wild and domestic animals with equal competence. Outlining the differences in the paintings under the Mughal rulers themselves with regard to depiction of fauna, it notes that while Akbar was interested in historical, mythological or anecdotal events, Jahangir introduced album paintings and evinced interest in individual portrait studies of fauna. In all, it showcases the meticulous depiction of fauna in Mughal art and its persevering beauty. It mentions the names of a host of artists who executed the paintings and the many illustrated manuscripts mythological, historical and on popular fables that saw lavish use of paintings with faunal imagery. The book will interest historians especially those studying art history of the medieval period.
