Download or read book Goddesses of Kathmandu Valley written by Arun Gupto and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-30 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In South Asia goddesses are conceptualized and worshipped in a fascinating range of forms — from cosmic beings to bacterial manifestations, from human-like appearances to creatures with animal and insect semblances. This book maps the diverse identities of goddesses through metaphors of grace, rage and knowledge, and offers an in-depth insight into femininity, sexual politics, ritual worships, religion, ecology and gender. Grace manifests as motherly sublimity, warring protectors, and varying personifications of sexuality. Rage encapsulates the fearful aspects of goddesses and independent identities of women. Knowledge evokes associations with order, reason and intellect in conflating gendered binaries of body/mind and nature/culture. The volume explores how these deity attributes are expressed and embedded through anthropomorphic as well as inorganic forms of nature, beautiful women, multi-legged and many-armed animals, epistemic selves, demonic beings, glamorous personifications as also grotesque sub-humans. A methodological combination of critical theory, mythological and philosophical concepts, along with popular ethnographic narratives and lived experiences, this monograph will greatly interest scholars and researchers of religious studies, cultural studies, folklore, art, literature, sociology and gender studies, especially those interested in Nepal and Hinduism.
Download or read book GODDESSES OF KATHMANDU VALLEY SECOND EDITION written by ARUN. GUPTO and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Mother goddesses in Kathmandu written by Musashi Tachikawa and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Study Of 15 Temples, Their Structure And History Which Possess The Images Of Eight Matrkas. Furnishes Material For Hindu Iconography In Nepal. Has 26 Chapters And Is Profusely Illustrated 272 Plates In Black And White.
Download or read book Wild Goddesses in India and Nepal written by Axel Michaels and published by Peter Lang Group Ag, International Academic Publishers. This book was released on 1996 with total page 594 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: She kills and destroys. She causes illness and disaster. The wild goddess evokes fear and terror. People worship her with blood-sacrifices and alcohol in order to appease her rage, but also in order to participate in her power for she is at once a force of destruction and a force of regeneration, of life, and of sexuality. Her creative violence reflects the ambivalent power of nature. The idea of frightening goddesses is preserved in regionally different forms throughout South Asia. The Institute for the Science of Religions, University of Berne, and the Museum of Anthropology of the University of Zurich, coordinated a symposium on wild goddesses in India and Nepal. The papers and reports on ongoing research presented at this symposium are published in this volume.
Download or read book The Living Goddess written by Isabella Tree and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compassionate and illuminating enquiry into the reclusive Himalayan country of Nepal and its famous Living Goddess. Written after twelve years of research, this book is emotionally engaging and deeply felt.
Download or read book Gods Men and Territory written by Anne Vergati and published by Manohar Publishers and Distributors. This book was released on 2002 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Newars who live in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal are well known for their urban civilisation as well as for the social organisation of their territory, which they have conserved for centuries. The author shows that for the Newars there exists a complex relationship between gods and men and also that their notion of territory is inextricably linked with the sanctuaries and temples, where gods have precise sites. Even though political power has always been in the hands of the Hindus, the co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism since the fifth century and the influence of Tantrism later on has given rise to a complex pantheon. The sanctuaries and temples are not merely decorative, they are functional as well. Each festival takes place around a temple and these mark out the territory the Newars inhabit. The Newar town not only has a religious centre but a political centre as well. For instance, at Bhaktapur the royal goddess Taleju is the political figure head and the goddess Tripurasundari the religious figure head. The royal goddess Taleju being the sovereign deity of the town, it is obvious that the political centre has primacy over the religious centre. The seats of the deities within a territory are situated in concentric circles. Published in association with Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi.
Download or read book The Living Goddess written by Isabella Tree and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2014-01-15 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a small medieval palace on Kathmandu’s Durbar Square lives Nepal’s famous Living Goddess—a child chosen from the Buddhist caste of goldsmiths whose role is to watch over the country and protect its people. Once she attains puberty, another girl takes her place. To Nepalis she is the embodiment of Devi and for centuries the kings of Nepal have sought her blessing to rule. Legends swirl about her. But the facts remain shrouded in secrecy and closely guarded by the Living Goddess’s priests and caretakers. Why are Buddhist girls worshipped by Hindu monarchs? Are the initiation rituals as macabre as they are rumoured to be? And what happens to Living Goddesses once they attain puberty? Using myth, religion, history and her unprecedented access to the priests, caretakers and ex-Living Godessess, Isabella Tree takes us deep into this hidden world. Through it she draws a vivid portrait of the girl-goddess, the beliefs and practices of traditional Nepal, and the uneasy journey it now makes towards modernity. Deeply felt and written over many years of travel and research, The Living Goddess is a profound, compelling and extremely moving book.
Download or read book Reciting the Goddess written by Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reciting the Goddess presents the first critical study of the Svasthanivratakatha (SVK), a sixteenth-century Hindu narrative textual tradition. The extensive SVK manuscript tradition offers a rare opportunity to observe the making of a specific, distinct Hindu religious tradition. Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz argues that the SVK serves as a lens through which we can observe the creation of modern 'Hinduism' in the Himalayas, as the text both mirrored and informed key moments in the self-conscious creation of Nepal as the 'world's only Hindu kingdom' in the late medieval and early modern period. Birkenholtz mines the literary historiography that is contained within the SVK text itself, chronicling the text's literary and narrative development as well as the development of the Svasthani goddess tradition. She outlines the process whereby the SVK gradually transformed into a Purana text, and became a critical source for Nepali Hindu belief and identity. She also examines the elusive character of the goddess Svasthani whose identity is tied to the pan-Hindu goddess tradition, and the representation of women in the SVK and the ways in which the text influenced local and regional debates on the ideal of Hindu womanhood. Reciting the Goddess presents Nepal's celebrated SVK as a micro-level illustration of the powerful ways in which people, place, and literature intersect to produce new ideas and concepts of identity and place, even in a historically non-literate culture.
Download or read book From Goddess to Mortal written by Rashmila Shakya and published by Vajra Bookshop. This book was released on 2007 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Autobiography of the author who was worshipped as virgin goddess from 1984-1991, in Nepal.
Download or read book Gods and Masks of the K hm u Valley written by Anne Vergati and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Study, Beautifully Illustrated, Focuses On The Masks Of Gods, Goddesses And Demons Worn By The Newars Of Kath-Mandu Valley. It Deals With Contexts In Which The Dancers Wear The Masks And With Legends Concerning The Dances.
Download or read book From Goddess to Mortal written by Rashmila Shakya and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Autobiography of the author who was worshipped as virgin goddess from 1984-1991, in Nepal.
Download or read book Power Places of Kathmandu written by and published by Inner Traditions. This book was released on 1995-09-01 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Award-winning photographer Kevin Bubriski captures in stunning detail the sacred places of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. Noted scholar Keith Dowman provides history and commentary on the significance of the sites.
Download or read book Sacred Animals of Nepal and India written by Trilok Chandra Majupuria and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Garland of Forgotten Goddesses written by Michael Slouber and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2020-12-22 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagining the divine as female is rare—even controversial—in most religions. Hinduism, by contrast, preserves a rich and continuous tradition of goddess worship. A Garland of Forgotten Goddesses conveys the diversity of this tradition by bringing together a fresh array of captivating and largely overlooked Hindu goddess tales from different regions. As the first such anthology of goddess narratives in translation, this collection highlights a range of sources from ancient myths to modern lore. The goddesses featured here battle demons, perform miracles, and grant rare Tantric visions to their devotees. Each translation is paired with a short essay that explains the goddess’s historical and social context, elucidating the ways religion adapts to changing times.
Download or read book Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power written by Laura Amazzone and published by University Press of America. This book was released on 2010 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Amazzone's voice is strong and clear. Goddess Durga promises the transformation, empowerment, and dignity that is our birthright."--Marisa Tomei, Academy Award-winning actor.
Download or read book Living Virgin Goddess Kumari written by Indra Majupuria and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On religious life and customs of Nepal.
Download or read book Nepal where the Gods Live written by Michèle Béguin and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For most people Nepal conjures up images of the Himalayas, but Nepal is much more than that. It is the sanctuary of the main Asian religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shamanism, where most traditions have been left untouched by foreign influences. In fact, the Kathmandu Valley keeps itself alive with the antique traditions of the virginity cult. The living Goddess or the Kumari Devi is the most important character for any traditional Nepalese. She is the Goddess protecting the country and it is only after her benediction that the King of Nepal had the permission to lead the country's affairs for the following year. Nepal is also a sanctuary of nature and races. Its climate, flora and fauna are extremely rich and shelter a number of ethnic groups. These little groups live precariously within harsh natural elements, through heat and cold, subtropical rains and high altitude deserts, and have astonishing communal organisations, which could be considered as a model in our modern society. The arts of Nepal are splendid and in plenty. The country is known of course for its architectural treasures mainly present in the Katmandu valley. The wooden sculptures of their struts are unique in the world as are the excellent golden bronzes admired in the public places and the numerous temples of Buddhist and Hindu religions. The Buddhist Thangka paintings are world famous and the murals of the monasteries and temples evoke envy. Nepal is home to mysterious festivals and many rituals are still practiced with as much faith and belief as they were centuries ago. Festivals to call the rain through Macchendranath, to celebrate the memory of the dead, to thank the God of rains after the season and celebrate the protective Goddess of the nation and later the call of the Goddess of Wealth Laxmi to shower riches on the family. It is endless, there is more than a festival a day. Only the people of each of the different communities are aware of their own fetes. Nepal is a place of rich and multiple activities, full of diversities, a refuge of races and the cultures they elaborate. Contents : 1. Looking Back / 2. Exploring the Land of the Gods / 3. Past Tense in Gods' Country / 4. The Ethnic Mosaic of the Nepalese People / 5. Religions in Ne's Country / 6. The Divinities in All their States: Gods and Goddesses of Nepal / 7. Let's Greet the Gods of Nepal: Festivals / 8. Epilogue.
