Epic Scenes in Indian Plastic Art

Epic Scenes in Indian Plastic Art

Author: Jayantika Kala

Publisher: Abhinav Publications

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 8170172284

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The Immortal Epics, The Ramayana And The Mahabharata, Are The Cherished And Prized Heritage Of Indian Culture. The Idealized Versions Of Rama And Krishna Narrated In The Two Epics And The Bhagwat Purana, The Episodes And Characters Described In Them Have Sunk Deep Into The Psyche Of Every Indian. Like Buddhism, Which Provided Inspiring Themes To The Indian Artist, The Epics Too Inspired The Indian Sculptor To Execute His Artistic Creations In Stone, Stucco And Terracotta In Rock Caves And Temples All Over The Subcontinent. The Artistic Depiction Of The Epic Themes In Different Ages And Regions Testifies To The Universal And Ever-Lasting Popularity Of The Epics With The Indian Artists. In Spite Of The Gap Of Centuries Between The Gupta Period And The Medieval Period, The Core Values And The Personality Of The Ideal Or Semi-Miraculous Personages Depicted In The Indian Sculpture Remain Changeless. The Book Is A Fascinating Study Of Epic Themes Appearing In Visual Art. The Author Has Painstakingly Documented The Various Themes Carved In Temples And Rock Caves, Garnered From Every Nook And Corner Of The Subcontinent-From Deogarh And Osian In The North To Badami And Belur In The South, From Paharpur In Bangladesh To Wadhwan And Markandi In Gujarat And Maharashtra.


The Multivalence of an Epic

The Multivalence of an Epic

Author: Parul Pandya Dhar

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-10-06

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 1000991962

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This volume examines The Rāmāyaṇa traditions of South India and Southeast Asia. Bringing together 19 well-known scholars in Rāmāyaṇa studies from Cambodia, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, UK, and USA, this thought-provoking and elegantly illustrated volume engages with the inherent plurality, diversity, and adaptability of the Rāmāyaṇa in changing socio-political, religious, and cultural contexts. The journey and localization of the Rāmāyaṇa is explored in its manifold expressions – from classical to folk, from temples and palaces to theatres and by-lanes in cities and villages, and from ancient to modern times. Regional Rāmāyaṇas from different parts of South India and Southeast Asia are placed in deliberate juxtaposition to enable a historically informed discussion of their connected pasts across land and seas. The three parts of this volume, organized as visual, literary, and performance cultures, discuss the sculpted, painted, inscribed, written, recited, and performed Rāmāyaṇas. A related emphasis is on the way boundaries of medium and genre have been crossed in the visual, literary, and performed representations of the Rāmāyaṇa. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)


Epic Narratives in the Hoysaḷa Temples

Epic Narratives in the Hoysaḷa Temples

Author: Evans

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2018-11-13

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 9004378960

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This volume is a detailed exposition of the visual retellings from the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata and Bhāgavata Purāṇa on specific South Indian Hoysaḷa temples. The first part of the book deals with the Amṛteśvara temple, particularly its narrative panels depicting the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata and Bhāgavata Purāṇa. The text is a résumé of episodes paired with photographs which illustrate and review the visual retellings and explore Indian techniques of visual narrative. Corollary material from other Hoysaḷa temples with narrative reliefs, including new sites, is presented in the second part. There are very few published contextual studies of Indian narrative sculptures, and so the book is a contribution to the documentation of Indian medieval art, examining visual narratives within the context of the Hindu temple. The book is illustrated with 150 photographs.


Epic Narratives in the Hoysaḷa Temples

Epic Narratives in the Hoysaḷa Temples

Author: Kirsti Evans

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 9789004105751

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This contextual study of narrative reliefs depicting Hindu epics and puranas on specific South Indian Hoysal a temples provides a detailed exposition of narrative episodes paired with photographs, illustrating and reviewing the stories and exploring techniques of Indian visual narrative.


Connected Histories of India and Southeast Asia

Connected Histories of India and Southeast Asia

Author: Dhar, Parul Pandya

Publisher: SAGE Publishing India

Published: 2022-11-29

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 9354795579

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Connected Histories of India and Southeast Asia unravels the fascinating history of cultural interactions, of outstanding and universal significance, between India and Southeast Asia, with special emphasis on artistic expressions. India's connections with Southeast Asian countries, namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are seen not only in trade and commerce but also in cultural and religious exchanges. Such histories are well-documented in their monuments, icons, narratives, inscribed artefacts, texts, and ritual paraphernalia. The first part of the book offers an overview of the nature of cultural and artistic interactions and the trade routes that facilitated an exchange of ideas, objects, people, and knowledge systems since ancient times. The second part addresses issues relating to architectural forms, motifs, and mobility across long distances and time periods. The final segment includes essays that discuss narratives and iconographies arising from cross-cultural artistic exchanges. With contributions by eminent scholars and over 170 colour photographs, maps, and illustrations, this book is an invaluable resource for understanding connected histories, which play a key role in revitalizing cultural connectivity and people-to-people contacts between India and Southeast Asia.


Indian Club Swinging and the Birth of Global Fitness

Indian Club Swinging and the Birth of Global Fitness

Author: Conor Heffernan

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2023-12-14

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1350401633

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Emerging in colonial India, the fitness fad that was Indian Club Swinging became a global exercise practice in the early 19th century. Used by physicians, soldiers, gymnasts, children and athletes alike, clubs were used to solve numerous social concerns and ills, and often prescribed to treat everything from depression to spinal abnormalities. This book provides a definitive account of the rise and spread of club swinging as it spread from India to Europe and America, asking why and how it became so popular. Discussing the global, commercial fitness culture of the 19th century, Indian Club Swinging and the Birth of Global Fitness explores how the popularity of this exercise reflected much deeper global and domestic concerns about body image, military preparation and education. Addressing broader questions about nationalism, gender, race and popular commerce across the British Empire, it highlights the origins of our modern transnational fitness culture and shows how it intersected with global and colonial understandings of health, medicine and education.


Narrative Sculpture and Literary Traditions in South and Southeast Asia

Narrative Sculpture and Literary Traditions in South and Southeast Asia

Author: Marijke J. Klokke

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2022-06-13

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 9004502645

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The question “how has ancient India’s incredibly rich literary heritage been visually represented” forms the centerpiece of this latest volume in Brill’s series Studies in Asian Art and Archaeology. Due to the overwhelming impression made by the texts themselves, the relationship between text and image has until now never received the attention it deserves. Numerous temples, though, not only in South Asia, but also in Southeast Asia carry the images of India’s great narratives. Special attention is given to those in Karnataka (India), Java (Indonesia), Angkor (Cambodia), and Tra Kieu (Vietnam). The work discusses theoretical aspects, provides new interpretations, and proposes innovative interpretations through advanced comparative and contextual approaches.


Sacred Sites and Sacred Stories Across Cultures

Sacred Sites and Sacred Stories Across Cultures

Author: David W. Kim

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-01-18

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 303056522X

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This book offers global perspectives from Mediterranean, Asian, Australian, and American cultures on sacred sites and their related stories in regional history. Contemporary society witnesses many travelers visiting sacred sites (temples, mountains, castles, churches, houses) throughout the world. These visits often involve discovery of new historical facts through the origin stories of the associated tribe, region, or nation. The transmission of oral tradition and myth carries on the significant meaning of those religious sites. This volume unveils multi-angle perspectives of symbolic and mystical places. The contributors describe the religio-political experiences of each regional case, and analyze the religiosity of local people as a lens through which readers can re-examine the concept of iconography, syncretism, and materialism. In addition, contributors interpret the growth of new religions as the alternative perspectives of anti-traditional religions. This new approach offers significant insight into comprehending the practical agony and sorrow of regional people in the context of contemporary history.