Trees and plants have long been held sacred to communities the world over. In India they feature in our myths, epics, rituals, worship, and daily life. There is the pipal, under which the Buddha editated; the banyan, in whose branches hide spirits; the ashoka, in a grove of whic…
Sociological analysis of Hindu caste & ritual has primarily been confined to the empirical study of local communities. In this work the author adds a new dimension by basing her data on an examination of selected myths in Puranic & Sutra literature, in particular the Dharmaranya…
Sociological analysis of Hindu caste and ritual has primarily been confined to the empirical study of local communities. In this classic work, the author adds a new dimension to such analysis by basing her data on an examination of selected myths in Puranic and Sutra literature,…
Sociological analysis of Hindu caste & ritual has primarily been confined to the empirical study of local communities. In this work the author adds a new dimension by basing her data on an examination of selected myths in Puranic & Sutra literature, in particular the Dharmaranya…
Most accounts of Hinduism posit a radical difference between the aniconic fire sacrifice (yajña) and temple-based image worship (pūjā). The historical distinction between ancient Vedism and medieval Hinduism is often premised on this basic ritual opposition. Through an exacting …
Most accounts of Hinduism posit a radical difference between the aniconic fire sacrifice (yajña) and temple-based image worship (pūjā). The historical distinction between ancient Vedism and medieval Hinduism is often premised on this basic ritual opposition. Through an exacting …
Rites of the God-King offers a critical revision of mainstream Hinduism from the perspective of the life of a single ritual from medieval India. Drawing theoretical connections to modern ethnographies, it raises questions about the nature of kingship and priesthood, image-worshi…
"Exploring the folk religion of India and the role of girls and women within it, author June McDaniel focuses on the brata (vrata) ritual in which moral lessons are taught and goddesses are revealed. Bratas are performed to gain such goals as a healthy family, a good husband, an…
"Exploring the folk religion of India and the role of girls and women within it, author June McDaniel focuses on the brata (vrata) ritual in which moral lessons are taught and goddesses are revealed. Bratas are performed to gain such goals as a healthy family, a good husband, an…
"Exploring the folk religion of India and the role of girls and women within it, author June McDaniel focuses on the brata (vrata) ritual in which moral lessons are taught and goddesses are revealed. Bratas are performed to gain such goals as a healthy family, a good husband, an…
