This book critically assesses recent debates about the colonial construction of Hinduism. Increasingly scholars have come to realise that the dominant understanding of Indian culture and its traditions is unsatisfactory. According to the classical paradigm, Hindu traditions are conceptualized as features of a religion with distinct beliefs, doctrines, sacred laws and holy texts. Today, however, many academics consider this conception to be a colonial 'construction'. This book focuses on the different versions, arguments and counter-arguments of the thesis that the Hindu religion is a...

- Contains 36 of the most important Hanuman stories with commentary on spiritual lessons, yogic practices, and Vedic astrology

- Reveals how Hanuman symbolizes the human mind and the highest potential it can achieve

- Explains how Hanuman has the ability to bestow strength and devotion

Best known for his role in the Ramayana, Hanuman's playful nature, amazing physical powers, and selfless devotion to Lord Rama have made him one of the most beloved gods in the Hindu...

An engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth, The Hindus offers a new way of understanding one of the world's oldest major religions. Hinduism does not lend itself easily to a strictly chronological account. Many of its central texts cannot be reliably dated within a century; its central tenets arise at particular moments in Indian history and often differ according to gender or caste; and the differences between groups...

The historical shift from Vedic traditions to post-Vedic bhakti (devotional) traditions is accompanied by a shift from abstract, translocal notions of divinity to particularized, localized notions of divinity and a corresponding shift from aniconic to iconic traditions and from temporary sacrificial arenas to established temple sites. In Bhakti and Embodiment Barbara Holdrege argues that the various transformations that characterize this historical shift are a direct consequence of newly emerging discourses of the body in bhakti traditions in which constructions of...

The present work consists of a comprehensive palm-leaf manuscirpt combining several originally separate Oriya texts of the 15th to 18th centuries, compiled by the Duela Karanas, the temple scribes of Puri, in the late 18th or the early 19th century. They provide firsthand and most authoritative information on land endowments to religious shrines throughout the medieval Orrisan period, on rituals and duties or priests and temple servitors, and, most important, on legendary and various hisotrical and cultural events during the reign of the Gajapatis.The present compendium is a unique source...

The Quotidian...

Hinduism, with its rich variety of religious traditions, can often be hard to define. This book is an informative guide to those traditions, and their underlying unity. Covering all important aspects of Hinduism, from deities and temples to mythology and philosophy, and exploring what it means to lead a Hindu life, this book will let you discover this fascinating religion and understand its relevance today.NOT GOT MUCH TIME?One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started.AUTHOR INSIGHTSLots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based...