Ajanta’s Evolution: From Sāvakayāna to Bodhisatvayāna amid Hunnic Turmoil

Ajanta’s Evolution: From Sāvakayāna to Bodhisatvayāna amid Hunnic Turmoil

Author: Rajesh Kumar Singh

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2024-05-02

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1803277181

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This book offers a new scholarly exploration of the rock-cut Ajanta Caves located in the modern-day Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India, their sculpture and paintings. The book meticulously traces the rise, transformation, and legacy of these architectural marvels from the late third century BC to around AD 480.


Rediscovery of Vedic and Ancient Bharat

Rediscovery of Vedic and Ancient Bharat

Author: Ankan Bhaduri, Dr. Anirban Das

Publisher: Notion Press

Published: 2024-02-15

Total Pages: 111

ISBN-13:

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The Rediscovery of Vedic and Ancient Bharat unfolds the profound roots of India's cultural heritage. Spanning from 1500 BCE to 1000 CE, this epoch witnessed a renaissance in Mathematics, Science, Astronomy, Yoga, Literature, and Architecture that resonates through the ages. Embark on a journey through the corridors of intellect, where luminaries like Aryabhata, Charaka and Patanjali carved indelible marks on the pages of time. Within the covers of this book, thirty chapters unveil the brilliance of Bharat's scholars, exploring the contributions of Pingala, Baudhayana, Varahamihira, Brahmagupta and others. Delve into the realms of Science, Yoga and Astronomy, where Aryabhatta, Varahamihira, and Sushruta stand as beacons of enlightenment. Literary marvels by Kalidasa, Shudraka, and Bhavabhuti, among others, paint a vivid canvas of ancient Bharat's literary grandeur. The final chapters stand as monuments to architectural splendors—the timeless Ajanta & Ellora Caves, the majestic Sanchi Stupa, and the awe-inspiring Pattadakal monuments. A treasure trove of knowledge, this work is a testament to the enduring legacy of India's intellectual and cultural brilliance, a legacy that continues to shape the nation's identity and resonate across time.


The Buddhist Caves at Aurangabad: Transformations in Art and Religion

The Buddhist Caves at Aurangabad: Transformations in Art and Religion

Author: Pia Brancaccio

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2010-12-17

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 9004192123

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Drawing on a large corpus of cross-disciplinary evidence, this book sheds light on the life of the Aurangabad caves and offers new interpretations on the development of Buddhist art and practice in the region, from the diffusion of early rock-cut monasteries to the advent of Mahayana and the emergence of esoteric art and rituals.


Worldly Gurus and Spiritual Kings

Worldly Gurus and Spiritual Kings

Author: Tamara I. Sears

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2014-06-10

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 0300198442

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This pioneering book is the first full-length study of the matha, or Hindu monastery, which developed in India at the turn of the first millennium. Rendered monumentally in stone, the matha represented more than just an architectural innovation: it signaled the institutionalization of asceticism into a formalized monastic practice, as well as the emergence of the guru as an influential public figure. With entirely new primary research, Tamara I. Sears examines the architectural and archaeological histories of six little-known monasteries in Central India and reveals the relationships between political power, religion, and the production of sacred space. This important work of scholarship features scrupulous original measured drawings, providing a vast amount of new material and a much-needed contribution to the fields of Asian art, religious studies, and cultural history. In introducing new categories of architecture, this book illuminates the potential of buildings to reconfigure not only social and ritual relationships but also the fundamental ontology of the world.


Gandhāran Art in Its Buddhist Context

Gandhāran Art in Its Buddhist Context

Author: Wannaporn Rienjang

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2023-03-23

Total Pages: 101

ISBN-13: 1803274743

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This book considers Gandhāran art in relation to its religious contexts and meanings within ancient Buddhism. Addressing the responses of patrons and worshippers at the monasteries and shrines of Gandhāra, papers seek to understand more about why Gandhāran art was made and what its iconographical repertoire meant to ancient viewers.


Ajanta: History and Development, Volume 2 Arguments about Ajanta

Ajanta: History and Development, Volume 2 Arguments about Ajanta

Author: Walter Spink

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2018-11-12

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 9047409353

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This volume in Brill’s renowned Ajanta series discusses contentious views on Ajanta’s development, the often-dramatic changes in patronage, and the intriguing problem of why Ajanta’s original (Hinayana) caves were not refurbished by the Vakataka. A comprehensive appendix on Ajanta inscriptions is also included.


An Archaeological History of Hermitages and Eremitic Communities in Medieval Britain and Beyond

An Archaeological History of Hermitages and Eremitic Communities in Medieval Britain and Beyond

Author: Simon Roffey

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-03-03

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0429656378

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Many hermitages and eremitic communities are recorded throughout the medieval period, yet to date, there has been no comprehensive archaeological study. This richly illustrated book will consequently discuss a range of hermitages and introduce the reader to their architectural forms, spaces, location and environments as well as the religious practices associated with them. It will focus primarily on the British material but will nonetheless consider this within a wider comparative framework. Overall, it will offer an archaeological history of hermitages and presents a unique window into a lost world of medieval spirituality and religious life. Key related themes will include the earliest archaeological evidence for hermits (eremitic life) in India, China and East Asia, pre- and early Christian desert hermitages, cave hermitages, eremitic communities, saints and missionary hermits, life and diet, medieval mysticism and the contemplative tradition, secular and ornamental hermitages and hermits in post-medieval and contemporary society. This book offers an illustrated archaeological history of hermitages and eremitic communities, with reference to key examples and case studies. It will therefore appeal to both academics, students and a more general readership interested in archaeology, history, comparative religion, architecture, religion and belief, spirituality, medieval Britain, modern contemplative practice and contemporary heritage issues.


Ajanta: Painting, sculpture, architecture

Ajanta: Painting, sculpture, architecture

Author: Walter M. Spink

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 900414983X

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Annotation. Volume Two begins with the contentious, yet challenging, views of Hans Bakker and Richard Cohen, both of whom are involved with an overview of Ajanta's development. This is explored further in shorter essays by Karl Khandalavala, Arvind Jamkhedkar, and Brahmanand Deshpande. At the same time, the author presents a detailed analysis of the form and development of Cave 26, as a model upon which his other arguments are built.