Download or read book Goddess Worship in the Western Himalayas written by Deepak Rawat and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Many Faces of a Himalayan Goddess written by Ehud Halperin and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2019 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book offers a portrait of Haḍimbā, a primary village goddess in the Kullu Valley of the West Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, a rural area known as the Land of God. Drawing on diverse ethnographic and textual materials The Many Faces of a Himalayan Goddess is rich with myths and tales, accounts of dramatic rituals and festivals, and descriptions of everyday life in the celebrated but remote Kullu Valley. The book portrays the goddess in varying contexts that radiate outward from her temple to local, regional, national, and indeed global spheres. The result is an important contribution to the study of Indian village goddesses, lived Hinduism, Himalayan Hinduism, and the rapidly growing field of religion and ecology"--
Download or read book Mountain Goddess written by William Sturman Sax and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1991 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the cold snows of the Central Himalayas, gods and goddesses are regularly taken on ritual processions from village to village. Nandadevi, one of the most popular goddesses, is worshipped by peasant Hindus in almost every village in the high-altitude districts where India, Nepal, and Tibet meet. This elegant study follows an arduous pilgrimage over the Himalayan ice fields to uncover the reasons for the popularity of this bloodthirsty goddess. Sax discovers that Nandadevi's appeal stems from that fact that her mythology parallels the life-courses of the local peasant women: her ritual procession imitates their annual journey to the village of their birth. Demonstrating that daughters' bonds with their natal homes are so significant that they thematically dominate their religious complex, Sax argues that the Garwhali religious culture actually nurtures the social antagonism that exists between wife-givers and wife-takers throughout North India.
Download or read book The Many Faces of a Himalayan Goddess written by Ehud Halperin and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text offers a portrait of Hadimba, a primary village goddess in the Kullu Valley of the West Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. Drawing on diverse ethnographic and textual materials 'The Many Faces of a Himalayan Goddess' is rich with myths and tales, accounts of dramatic rituals and festivals, and descriptions of everyday life in the celebrated but remote Kullu Valley. The result is an important contribution to the study of Indian village goddesses, lived Hinduism, Himalayan Hinduism, and the rapidly growing field of religion and ecology.
Download or read book The Himalayas written by Andrew J. Hund and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2018-06-15 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thorough and detailed resource that describes the history, culture, and geography of the Himalayan region, providing an indispensable reference work to both general readers and seasoned scholars in the field. The Himalayas: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture serves as a convenient and authoritative reference for anyone exploring the region and seeking to better understand the history, events, peoples, and geopolitical details of this unique area of the world. It explores the geography and details of the demographics, discusses relevant historical events, and addresses socioeconomic movements, political intrigues and controversies, and cultural details as to give an overarching impression of the region as a coherent and cohesive whole. Readers will come away with a vastly heightened understanding of the geographical region we recognize as the Himalayas, and grasp the issues of geography, history, and culture that are central to contemporary understandings of the human culture in the region. The alphabetically arranged and succinct entries provide easy access to detailed, authoritative information. Additionally, sidebars throughout the book relate compelling facts that point readers to new and interesting avenues of exploration. The volume also includes a chronological overview of the region, ten primary source documents, and a comprehensive bibliography of supporting works.
Download or read book In the Valley of the Kauravas written by William S. Sax and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2024-01-02 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The isolated valleys of Rawain in the Western Himalaya are ruled by local gods who control the weather, provide justice, and regularly travel through their territories to mark their borders and to ward off incursions by rival gods. These, identified with Karna and Duryodhana from the great Indian epic Mahabharata, are regarded as divine kings whom local persons serve as priests, ministers, patrons, soldiers, and servants. Each divine kings has an oracle, who is regularly summoned, enters into a trance, and speaks with the god's voice, appointing and dismissing officers, confiscating property, levying fines, and ratifying the decisions of councils of elders. The gods hear civil and sometimes criminal cases and, through their oracles, enforce their judgments through fines and penalties, or by compelling disputants to reach a compromise. In the Valley of the Kauravas seeks to describe how this system functions by closely examining the myths, legends, rituals, and folklore associated with it, and above all by providing a detailed ethnographic description of its day-to-day workings. It contextualizes this system by comparing it with 'divine kingship' throughout history, in both South and Southeast Asia, and seeks to embed this historical and ethnographic analysis in a theoretical discussion of the nature, goals, and limits of anthropological knowledge of 'multiple worlds'. The chapters of the book are organized in terms of the 'seven limbs' of the classical Indian kingdom as described by the political philosopher Kautilya: king, land and people, minister, army, treasury, ally, and enemy.
Download or read book Western Himalayan Temple Records written by Mahesh Sharma and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2009-06-24 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While numerous studies exist on major South-Asian temples, surprisingly little is known about ‘minor shrines’ and ‘lesser states’. Here fifty-five new documents, in a western-Himalayan script and language, and belonging to a small Siddha shrine, redress this remarkable gap in our knowledge. The documents cover a wide spectrum—from revenue grants to those dealing with ritual, pilgrimage, legality and temple-economy—thus building a picture of the relationship between state and shrine, and particularly so for the minor centres: their popularity and relationship with major temples; mundane matters; notices, petitions, and law-suits. It becomes clear how ‘lesser states’, despite their limited resources, patronized numerous small shrines, along with major temples; and the role played by the Nath-Siddha-ascetics in creating consent-to-rule, acculturation, and constructing hybridity between the Hindu and Tibetan-Buddhist traditions.
Download or read book Encounters with the Invisible written by Marie Lecomte-Tilouine and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-06-28 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume considers spirit possession in the Himalayas and the various ways in which invisible powers are made present. It does so by examining material representations of these powers through artefacts, animals, plants and natural substances, while also focusing on narratives of people’s encounters with the invisible that may help them to reconfigure reality. Through these two approaches, the contributions examine new phenomena associated with the concepts of "possession" and "shamanism", which otherwise tend to lead research into well-worn furrows. The book addresses a range of themes, including the gods of the Western Himalayas, death and ritual dissolution among Hyolmo Buddhists in Nepal, gods and rivers as legal persons in India, and the problem of conversion disorder in Nepal. Rich in ethnography, this book will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of anthropology, religion, spiritualism, sociology of religion, Himalayan studies, sociology and South Asia.
Download or read book Entranced by the Goddess written by Sudha Chandola and published by Heart of Albion Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mother Goddess has been worshiped in India for at least three thousand years. Although often known as 'Mata' or 'Devi', she is also known by a myriad of names, with every village having its own local manifestation. Her devotees have established a rich tradition of ritual, lore and song. However few English-speaking people know the details of Indian goddess worship. Dr Chandola combines her north Indian origins with her training in anthropology to provide a unique insight into the millennia-old beliefs, lore, songs, pilgrimages and rituals. Even within India few people have direct experience of the trance rituals associated with goddess worship. During these seemingly-impossible acts are accomplished, such as licking red-hot metal without causing injury. Dr Chandola attended several of these trance rituals and provides a dramatic account of licking a red-hot metal ladle without harm. Some aspects of traditional Indian goddess worship have been known about in the West for over 200 years. Indeed, in a very confused way, this knowledge underlies modern pagans' veneration of a Great Goddess. Some modern pagans also seek trance states - although few, if any, with the dramatic consequences of these north Indian traditions! The final section of the book looks at how these traditional beliefs are adapting in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, both within Indian and among international Hindu communities. Entranced by the Goddess is essential reading for all those interested in Hinduism - both traditional and modern-day - or goddess worship - whether Indian or Western.
Download or read book Myths Rituals and Beliefs in Himachal Pradesh written by Molu Ram Thakur and published by Indus Publishing. This book was released on 1997 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Western Himalaya Is The Home Of Vedic Saints, Gods And Goddesses And Of God-Fearing And Honest People Who Have Respect For All Religions. This Book Deals With Their Folklore, Beliefs And Superstitions And Traditions.
Download or read book God of Justice written by William S Sax and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In God of Justice, anthropologist William S. Sax offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of cursing, black magic, and ritual healing in the Central Himalayas of North India. Based on ten years' ethnographic fieldwork, God of Justice shows how these practices are part of a moral system based on the principle of family unity.
Download or read book Offering Flowers Feeding Skulls written by June McDaniel and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2004-08-05 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Indian state of West Bengal is home to one of the world's most vibrant traditions of goddess worship. The year's biggest holidays are devoted to the goddesses Durga and Kali, with lavish rituals, decorated statues, fireworks, and parades. In Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls, June McDaniel provides a broad, accessibly written overview of Bengali goddess worship. McDaniel identifies three major forms of goddess worship, and examines each through its myths, folklore, songs, rituals, sacred texts, and practitioners. In the folk/tribal strand, which is found in rural areas, local tribal goddesses are worshipped alongside Hindu goddesses, with an emphasis on possession, healing, and animism. The tantric/yogic strand focuses on ritual, meditation, and visualization as ways of experiencing the power of the goddess directly. The devotional or bhakti strand, which is the most popular form, involves the intense love and worship of a particular form of the goddess. McDaniel traces these strands through Bengali culture and explores how they are interwoven with each other as well as with other forms of Hinduism. She also discusses how these practices have been reinterpreted in the West, where goddess worship has gained the values of sexual freedom and psychological healing, but lost its emphases on devotion and asceticism. Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls takes the reader inside the lives of practicing Shaktas, including holy women, hymn singers, philosophers, visionaries, gurus, ascetics, healers, musicians, and businessmen, and offers vivid descriptions of their rituals, practices, and daily lives. Drawing on years of fieldwork and extensive research, McDaniel paints a rich, expansive portrait of this fascinating religious tradition.
Download or read book River and Goddess Worship in India written by R.U.S. Prasad and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-08-09 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sarasvati assumes different roles, a physical river and a river goddess, then as a goddess of speech and finally that of a goddess of learning, knowledge, arts and music. References to Sarasvati in the Vedas and the Brahmanas, the Mahabharata and the Puranas and her marked presence in other religious orders, such as Buddhism, Jainism and the Japanese religion, form the basis of discussion as regards her various attributes and manifestations. In Jainism, her counter-part is Sutra-devi, in Buddhism it is Manjusri and Prajnaparamita and in the Japanese religion, Benten is the representative goddess. The physical presence of Sarasvati in various iconic forms is seen in Nepal, Tibet and Japan. Tantrism associated with Sarasvati also finds reflection in these religious traditions. Sculptors and art historians take delight in interpreting various symbols her iconic forms represent. The book examines Sarasvati’s origin, the course of her flow and the place of her disappearance in a holistic manner. Based on a close analysis of texts from the early Rig-Veda to the Brahmanas and the Puranas, it discusses different view-points in a balanced perspective and attempts to drive the discussions towards the emergence of a consensus view. The author delineates the various phases of Sarasvati’s evolution to establish her unique status and emphasise her continued relevance in the Hindu tradition. The book argues that the practice of pilgrimage further evolved after its association with the river Sarasvati who was perceived as divinity personified in Hindu tradition. This, in turn, led to the emergence of numerous pilgrimage sites on or near her banks which attracted a large number of pilgrims. A multifaceted and interdisciplinary analysis of a Hindu goddess, this book will be of interest to academics researching South Asian Religion, Hinduism and Indian Philosophy as also the general readers.
Download or read book Healing Traditions of the Northwestern Himalayas written by Pankaj Gupta and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-06-30 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses the perception of disease, healing concepts and the evolution of traditional systems of healing in the Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh, India. The chapters cover a diverse range issues: people and knowledge systems, healing in ancient scriptures, concept of sacredness and faith healing, food as medicament, presumptions about disease, ethno-botanical aspects of medicinal plants, collection and processing of herbs, traditional therapeutic procedures, indigenous Materia medica, etc. The book also discusses the diverse therapeutic procedures followed by Himalayan healers and their significance in the socio-cultural life of Himalayan societies. The World Health Organization defines traditional medicine as wisdom, skills, and practices based on theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness and maintenance of health. In some Asian and African countries, 80% of the population depends on traditional medicine for primary health care. However, the knowledge of these conventional healing techniques and traditions associated with conveying this knowledge are slowly disappearing. The authors highlight the importance of safeguarding this indigenous knowledge in the cultural milieu of the Himachal Himalayas. This book will be an important resource for researchers in medical anthropology, biology, ethno-biology, ecology, community health, health behavior, psychotherapy, and Himalayan studies.
Download or read book Shaktima Radiance of a Hindu Goddess written by Robert Segal and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book History and Culture of Ancient Gandh ra and Western Himalayas written by Bhushan Kumar Kaul Deambi and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Understanding Different Geographies written by Karel Kriz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-10-10 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book collects revised versions of papers first delivered at the “Understanding Different Geographies Symposium” held in Puchberg am Schneeberg, Austria in 2011. The Symposium focussed on “Communicating Meaning with [Geo]Graphic Artefacts”. The general topics of the chapters cover: - Exploring geographic knowledge - Maps in exhibition spaces - Information and exhibition design with (geo)graphic artefacts - Extracting meaning from visualisations of different geographies - Deconstructing maps of information - and other spaces
