About the Book

In all religions of the world which maintain sacrificial rituals and in which the portion offered to Gods is given to fire, that portion is normally offered raw except in Vedic India, where its previous cooking is necessary. The reasons for such a treatment forms the subject matter of this book.

The author, through an exhaustive examination of Vedic, Brahmanic and Srauta Sutric texts, traces the beginning and development of the idea of cooking as transforming energy, from early Vedic hymns to the classical and fully complete sacrifices of the later Brahmanic times.

The work is divided into two major parts: The first, comprising four chapters, follows the emergence and development of the first intuition the rishis had of their use of fire as God of energy; the second part, consisting of the remaining four chapters takes into account four emblematic rituals where heat is especially prominent, discussing, how the presence of heat has worked in shaping those rituals and the spirituality that has arisen from them. An introduction has cast the problem in its human, temporal and geographical conditions, while a conclusion has brought the entire matter to its heavenly accomplishment.

About the Author:

Born in Roma (Italia), Uma Marina Vesci received her education in Roma itself, graduating in Ancient History and Archaeology with a thesis on: " the use of Musical Instruments in the religious Life of Ancient Greece". Further, she specialized in History of Religions with a thesis on: "God, Man and Salvation in the Spiritual change in the VI century B.C. from China to Greece". At the end of 1963 she won a scholarship to India where she continued her studies centered on Hinduism and especially on Vedic texts. Since then she has continuously lived in India to the present with support from various scholarships and fellowships in B.H.U. (Varanasi), Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Simla, at center of Advanced study in Philosophy, Visva Bharati(Shantiniketan), and in the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre in Delhi and Varanasi. In this last capacity she has taught comparative religions for a short while in Patiala at the Dept. of Religious Studies. Dr. Vesci has contributed many articles on Indological subjects to numerous international journals and has lectured widely.

Ancient Indian Massage: Traditional Massage techniques based on the Ayurveda

Massage, done according to the natural laws of human anatomy and energy flow, offers the most pleasurable benefit of all daily practices. Regular massage vibrates and energizes the skin, muscles and nerves simultaneously and helps the body become light, active and full of vitality. Body heart and vitality increase as the heart and circulatory system open up to provide fresh oxygen and energy to all parts of the system while simultaneously flushing out waste gases and chemicals. Ancient Indian scriptures which deal with health and massage say: "Diseases do not go near one who massages his feet before sleeping, just as snakes do not approach eagles." There is new acceptance of massage nowadays. In the West people are especially interested in this art as a rejuvenator and vitalizer. There is much literature available on various kinds of massage from different parts of the world, but there is no book about the ancient Indian system of massage where the art is ever popular. In India you can find people massaging people on beaches, on the banks of rivers, and in market places-apart from the privacy of homes and wrestling places (akharas). Massage of children is widespread in India practically every child and the mother of each new born infant gets regular massage, as one gets foods. Massage is part of inherent rituals in Indian life and in many states it becomes a significant ritual before marriage. The purpose of this publication is to portray simply and factually some of the principles, techniques, beauty and benefits of massage. Special formulae have been incorporated to enhance various therapeutic values. Printed Pages: 106 with line drawings.

Medicine Ayurveda Massage India

The book surveys the structure of Indian sculpture in its relevant aspects. The underlying and essential qualities are viewed in their permanency throughout the special conditions that the single monuments imply. Their outward connections, geographical and chronological, are seen to resolve themselves into ethical problems and those of the artistic process itself.

While stylistical investigations are the basis of this book, Indian sculpture is dealt with as conditioned by the Indian craftsman. His consciousness makes him known to himself as a part of nature and his work is the form of this 'naturalism'. Its degree and aspects vary according to the levels of his consciousness.

"The multi-volume History of Civilizations of Central Asia is the first attempt to present a comprehensive picture of this subject. The publication of this work falls well within UNESCO's terms of reference since the underlying research was conducted by a distinguished international team of specialists which for many years laboured in harmony at the task of presenting to a wider public the civilization of this vast area located at the heart of the Eurasian continent. The volumes will reveal the cultures that flourished and vanished in this area, from the dawn of civilization to the present time. Only a few names, such as those of Samarkand, Bukhara or Khiva, are familiar to a wider public; eminent specialists, many of them native to the region, now lift the curtain to reveal a richer, more varied civilization. To a great extent, the history of the ancient and medieval world was shaped by the movements of peoples in this heartland of Eurasia, stretching from the Caspian Sea in the west to the borders of China proper in the east.

Review:

""No Doubt,it is a noble venture of the Unesco to collect and edit these four volumes on the History of Civilization of Central Asia in such details as are not available elsewhere.Especially,the first three volumes are important and useful which no doubt."

The two volumes together may be described as search for the original ideational foundations of Indian Culture. In one way this work recalls the tradition of Coomaraswamy but seeks to join it to the mainstream of critical history. It argues that the living continuity of Indian Culture is rooted in a unique spiritual vision and social experience. Indian Culture is neither the result of merely accidental happenings through the centuries, nor a mere palimpsest of migrations and invasions. It is, in its essence, a development of foundational ideas constituting a creative matrix. Behind its changing historical forms lies a deep and persistent source of creativity which is spiritual in character. The Present volume I deals with the spiritual vision and symbolic forms. Here is has been upheld that the spiritual vision of India had two original aspects, the integral or synoptic vision of the Vedas, and the Sramanic vision of Transcendence. Purnata and Sunyata constituted the two poles round which Indian spirituality revolved. The author not only elucidates this bipolar matrix of Indian spirituality revolved. The author not only elucidates this bipolar matrix of Indian spiritual praxis or sadhana, but also traces its intricate ancient history. He goes on to trace the great symbolic forms-language, myth, science, literature and art-in which this basic vision expressed itself. In all these areas he brings out the basic general principles expressive of inner consciousness rather than present a mere selection of well-known details.

The book is meticulously edited by Dahiya whorendered the original Anglo-Nordic script in modern english without disturbing the original diction and structure and has relied upon the works of Charles Jonston`s the system of Vedanra and on Lawrence Dawson in The Nuttall Encyclopaedia for transliteration and standerdization of spelling of proper names. This book is a must for all Research Centers, Institutes, Universities and Libraries and gives a contemporary account of the Muslim period in India.

"The present English Translation is based on the original German work written by Professor Winternitz and has been revised in the light of further researches on the subject by different scholars in India and elsewhere.

Volume I is divided into two section. Section I relates to Veda (the Four Samhitas), Brahmanas, Aranyaka, Upanisads, Vedangas and the literature of the Ritual. Section II relates to the study of two great Epics of India-the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It carries out a general survey of the Puranic literature, and provides ample information about the Tantras too.

Volume II contains two section viz. Buddhism and Jainism. The edition has been translated from the original, incorporating the additional information as found in Mrs. Ketkar's translation from which a larger part of the text has been reproduced here verbatim.

Volume III covers the history of classical Sanskrit literature and scientific Indian literature with its characteristics, grammar, lexicography, philosophy, dharmasastra, architecture, sangitasastra, kamasastra, ayurveda, astronomy, astrology and mathematics and also has an appendix."

The present English translation is based on the original German work written by Professor Winternitz and has been revised in the light of further researches on the subject by different scholars in India and elsewhere. Vol. I relates to Veda (the four Samhitas), Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanisads, Vedangas and the Literature of the ritual. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Puranic literature and Tantra. Vol. II deals with the Buddhist Literature of India and the Jaina Literature. Vol. III covers Classical Sanskrit Literature comprising ornate Poetry, Drama, Narrative Literature, Grammar, Lexiocography, Philosophy, Dharma-Sastra, Artha-Sastra, Architecture, Music, Kama-Sutra, Ayurveda, Astronomy, Astrology and Mathematics.

Description

On 5th June 1984, the Indian army began its attack on the complex at Amritsar which houses the two most sacred shrines Generals who had pledge to minimum force, and on no account to violate the shrines, were not prepared for the fierce and adept resistance they encountered. Having suffered severe casualties, the infantry were driven back and as last resorts with approval from Delhi tanks were ordered in. The Akal Takht was virtually reduced to rubble. It is doubtful if Mrs. Gandhi would have initiated Operation Blue Star had she known how bloody and devastating would be the consequences of that 24 hour conflict.

Specification

• Product Code : BK8670
• Publisher : Rupa Publications India
• Edition : December 31, 2006
• Pages : 261
• Weight : 240 gm.
• Size : 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Binding : Paperback
• Author : Mark Tully
• Language : English
• ISBN-10: 8129109174
  ISBN-13: 978-8129109170

 

 

Description 

Lucknow, the cultural capital of erstwhile Awadh region, has charmed generations into writing about the city. But there is no book that captures all the aspects of Awadhi culture, history and traditions of the region.

Awadh Symphony: Notes on a Cultural Interlude is an extensively detailed volume which takes you on a journey to a bygone era and gives a glimpse of everyday life in this North Indian kingdom. Revisiting Awadh, it offers almost all aspects of human activity—from culture, cuisine, craft and religious ritual to games, fairs and bazaars; from life of ordinary Muslim women to courtesans, who were a part of the famous Sham-i-Awadh; from the tradition of dastangoi to the recitation of marsiya; and much more.

A staunch bibliophile and an ardent admirer of Lucknow, author Aslam Mahmud had collected every possible book on Awadh throughout his life, consulting each of these to pen the work of a lifetime—a compendium on Lucknow with rare information and an exceptional guide to the life and times of Awadh.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
Aslam Mahmud (1940–2016) was a well-known literary figure of Lucknow and a staunch bibliophile. During his lifetime, Mahmud had built a collection of more than 15,000 books in his personal library in Lucknow. The major part of his collection comprised English, Urdu and Persian literature, Islamic calligraphy and books on Awadh. He also had an extensive stock of old postal stamps; picture postcards; and rare photos, books and movie posters. A number of celebrated scholars of India and Pakistan used to visit his library to benefit from his collection.

Mahmud did his schooling from St Francis College and La Martinière College, Lucknow. Later, he graduated in science and law from the University of Lucknow. Aslam Mahmud joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service and held various important positions all over India, including Lucknow and Delhi. He retired as Additional Member, Railway Board, in 2000.

Specification 

• Product Code : BK8674
• Publisher : Rupa Publications India
• Edition : May 1, 2017
• Pages : 368
• Weight : 440 gm.
• Size : 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Binding : Paperback
• Author : Aslam Mahmud
• Language : English
• ISBN-10: 8129146509
  ISBN-13: 978-8129146502

Description

Blood and fire have often blighted Afghanistan, the three Anglo-Afghan wars being among the bloodiest and the cruelest in its history. But Britain’s partitioning of Afghanistan will rank as the greatest crime of the nineteenth century. That arbitrary line which Mortimer Durand drew in 1893 on a small piece of paper continues to bleed Afghanistan and hound the world. Alas, this story remained untold until now.

Written in an inimitable style, Durand’s Curse is the result of deep research. Fascinating details from long-buried archives of history reveal for the first time a tale of intrigue and deceit against Afghanistan. First the British and then Pakistan had taken away territory that originally belonged to Afghanistan. But the divided Pathan families refuse to accept this division even now and for the last century and over, there has been a struggle to rub out the cursed line drawn across the sand.

Rajiv Dogra brings alive the wars, the tragedies and the Afghan anger against injustice in this heart-wrenching account of Afghanistan’s misfortunes. This is an absolutely riveting story of the Indian sub-continent’s history told by an important writer of our generation.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
Rajiv Dogra is a writer, television commentator and artist. A career foreign service officer of the 1974 batch, he was India’s Ambassador to Italy and Romania, the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Agencies in Rome and the last Consul General in Karachi.

An active public speaker, Dogra is one of India’s foremost commentators on foreign policy and strategic affairs and is noted for his considered and assertive views. He is the bestselling author of Where Borders Bleed, regarded as one of the most authoritative books on India–Pakistan relations.

Specification

• Product Code : BK8687
• Publisher : Rupa Publications India
• Edition : August 21, 2017
• Pages : 264
• Weight : 380 gm.
• Size : 5.9 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
• Binding : Paperback
• Author : Rajiv Dogra
• Language : English
• ISBN-10: 8129148641
  ISBN-13: 978-8129148643

Description

English Literature: Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English-Speaking World is an all-encompassing study of English literature from Anglo-Saxon times to the twentieth century. It interprets literature both biographically and historically by showing how each work reflects not just the writer’s life and thoughts but also the spirit of the age and the nation’s history. It also shows the development of the English literary canon in terms of complexity, from the earlier simple moral allegories to the complex issues addressed in twentieth-century writings. Along with works of literature, this book also analyses important events and social conditions in each period, the lives of important authors, as well as literary epochs. With helpful summaries, bibliographies and tables of chronological events, this book is the best possible guide for students to understand the vast pantheon of English literature.

Specification

• Product Code : BK8689
• Publisher : Rupa Publications India
• Edition : September 1, 2015
• Pages : 672
• Weight : 550 gm.
• Size : 5.5 x 8.5 inches
• Binding : Paperback
• Author : William J. Long
• Language : English
• ISBN-10: 817167772X
  ISBN-13: 978-8171677726

Description

The Exploring India series of books are delicious, bite-sized portions of history that will interest every reader who wants to know more about various facets of India.

The Unknown Indians is an unusual book in history as it places those unnamed Indians, who quietly changed the world around them, at the centre of Indian history. It takes the reader on a journey through the lives of minstrels and storytellers; weavers, potters, iron smiths and carvers; farmers and cooks; and poet rebels.

Find out how these men and women shaped Indian civilization and made it richer with their skills and their wondrous innovations. From the first storytellers who wove tales of great imagination and then passed them down generations, to skilled workers who discovered how to weave cotton or created marvelous works of art like the Chola bronzes; from the farmers
who fed everyone and even adopted new seeds and crops that have become staples now to poet rebels like Kabir and Guru Nanak who changed society with love and songs.

Concise yet filled with relevant details and accompanied by attractive colour illustrations, the Exploring India series will make history fascinating and unforgettable for every reader.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
SUBHADRA SEN GUPTA has written over thirty books for children including mysteries, adventures, ghost stories, comic books and books on history. To her surprise, the Sahitya Akademi thought she is doing a good job and gave her the Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2014. Right now she is waiting for a time machine so that she can travel to the past and join Emperor Akbar
for lunch. She loves to travel, flirt with cats and chat with auto-rickshaw drivers. If you want to discuss anything under the sun with her, email her at subhadrasg@gmail.com.

About the Illustrator:

TAPAS GUHA has been working for more than twenty years as an illustrator. He has worked with many leading publishers, newspapers, advertising agencies and NGOs. He loves to draw comics and illustrate children’s books. He has partnered with Subhadra Sen Gupta on countless projects including a Feluda comics series. Ruskin Bond is one of his favourite authors and he loves to read Tintin comics.

Specification

• Product Code : BK8690
• Publisher : Rupa Publications India
• Edition : June 1, 2011
• Pages : 82
• Weight : 160 gm.
• Size : 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
• Binding : Paperback
• Author : Subhadra Sen Gupta, Tapas Guha
• Language : English
• ISBN-10: 8129137593
  ISBN-13: 978-8129137593

Description

‘Kautilya who?’ In India itself, Kautilya is mentioned for reasons that are more sentimental and nationalistic than analytical and comparative with respect to the theoretical significance of his contributions to statecraft. In academic circles, Kautilya is labelled as the ‘Indian Machiavelli’, even though the Arthashastra was written some 1800 years prior to Machiavelli’s Discorsi and Principe and is much broader in scope. This book brings the wisdom of Kautilya’s text—a tour de force in strategic thinking—to the present political discourse, emphasizing the relevance of this ancient text to contemporary world affairs. Brilliant scholarly analysis complemented with in-depth academic enquiry gives this work an edge over all that has been written on Arthashastra so far. Mitra and Liebig move beyond romanticizing Kautilya and present to the reader one of the sharpest minds in history, unmatched in its knowledge of statecraft and a theory unparalleled in strategic thinking. A must-have guide to understanding both Kautilya and the intricacies of governance.

Specification

• Product Code : BK8713
• Publisher : Rupa Publications India
• Edition : 20 November 2017
• Pages : 600
• Weight : 550 gm.
• Size : 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.7 inches
• Binding : Hardcover
• Author : SUBRATA K. MITRA
• Language : English
• ISBN-10: 812914865X
  ISBN-13: 978-8129148650

 

Description

How the most important man of our national movement viewed the most important sport in our country. Did Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ever play cricket? Did cricket ever figure in the Gandhian world of thought? What were the views of the most important man in the history of Indias freedom struggle on the game that dominates Indian national consciousness in the twenty-first century? Were there any connections between Gandhi and cricket during the high tide of national movement? Did Gandhi or his ideas make any impact on the game? Did he ever oppose the cause of cricket? Did cricket ever invoke Gandhi after his death? These questions seem as remote as Gandhis tryst with cricket! Mahatma on the Pitch tries to find answers to these apparently quirky questions by exploring the untold relationship between two of the most enduring phenomena of modern India: Mahatma Gandhi, arguably the greatest Indian icon of the twentieth century and Indian cricket, probably the most assertive Indian national emblem in the twenty-first-century world.

About the Author: Kausik Bandyopadhyay

Kausik Bandyopadhyay teaches History at West Bengal State University, Barasat, Kolkata. Formerly a Fellow of the International Olympic Museum, Lausanne (2010) and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata (20062009 and 20132015), he is also the Editor of Soccer and Society (Routledge). Bandyopadhyay has authored and edited several books. His most recent works include Sport, Culture and Nation: Perspectives from Indian Football and South Asian Cricket (New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2015); Bangladesh Playing: Sport, Culture, Nation (Dhaka: Subarna/ ICBS, 2012); and Scoring Off the Field: Football Culture in Bengal, 191180 (New Delhi/London: Routledge, 2011).

Specification

• Product Code : BK8721
• Publisher : Rupa Publications India
• Edition : September 20, 2017)
• Pages : 160
• Weight : 280 gm.
• Size : 5.9 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
• Binding : Paperback
• Author : Kausik Bandyopadhyay
• Language : English
• ISBN-10: 8129148854
  ISBN-13: 978-8129148858

Recent events around the world have shaken old certainties. Questions are being asked about the survival of the Liberal Order, which has been dominant for over fifty years. The election of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote have alarmed many commentators. Across Europe too there have been developments—the emergence of fringe parties of the left and right in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Greece—which have disturbed the liberal thought. In India, the arrival of Narendra Modi at the head of the 'Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 had raised fear similar to those in Trumps case. In this perceptive account, Meghnad Desai opens up the debate beyond the West and looks at parallels between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump as two outsiders who broke through the barriers to reach the top. He analyses Asias challenge to Western hegemony and asks if the conventional wisdom about the hegemony of free trade liberalism needs re-examination. He peers into the future to look at the greatest challenge facing the world today: Will the Liberal Order survive, collapse or mutate? Is the world at a cusp? Is history—the old saga of blood, sweat and tears—about to resume its course? Politicshock analyses Trump and Modi and other outsiders who have come to the fore not as freaks but as results of systematic forces—economic, social, political and cultural—who will now shape the critical destiny of the time that we live in......

About the Author: Meghnad Desai

Meghnad Desai sits as a Labour Peer in the House of Lords. He is an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is the Chairman of the Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics in Mumbai since June 2015. He was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in January 2004 and the Padma Bhushan by former President Pratibha Patil in 2008...........

The opulent, sometimes scandalous, private lives of the Mughals of India is brought to life in this book. The text cover svarious aspects of their lifestyles, such as their food and drinks; clothes and ornaments; perfumes and incense; addictions and intoxicants, amusements and pastimes; rituals of circumcision; marriage and harem life. This well-written book with colour illustrations and photographs will be a delight to the lay reader aswell as the serious scholar. Titled as it is, the book deals with the little known, but much scandalised, private life of the Mughals who ruled from 1526, practically to 1803 when the British captured Delhi and Agra, their nerve-centres, from them. This included theperiod ofthe reign of three great Mughals, viz. Akbar (1556-1605), Jehangir(1605-27) and Shah Jahan (1628-58), of little more than acentury.They possessed not only fabulous wealth, but also thevision tofound a culture-State, in the real sense of the term.Planting itin the soil as naturally as a banyan tree, they institutionalized their life, as much as their government. The former, almost completely shrouded in mystery, offers one of themost interesting aspects of medieval Indian history and culture.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Prof. R. Nath (b. 1933), has worked at more than 50 ancient and medieval sites of India and with his extensive knowledge of Sanskrit and Persian, has authored several books, monographs, research papers and articles.

This book highlights the intellectual and diplomatic distinction of K. Natwar Singh. From a very young age he came into intimate contact with world-renowned personalities. As he reveals:’While working on this book,the thought struck me that the Natwar Singh of these letters was obviously someone that had been transmuted out of the indubitably common metal that he is, into a superior product by the alchemy of the minds of indulgent and warmhearted well-wishers. Indira Gandhi, R.K.Narayan, Han Suyin, E.M. Forster, Nargis Dutt et al figure in the list of these distinguished well-wishers. These letters tell us as much about the writers as they reflect on the engaging personality of the recipient.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

K. Natwar Singh was born in 1931. He was educated at Mayo College, Ajmer, Scindia School, Gwalior, St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1953 and resigned from it in 1984, thereafter he joined the Congress Party. At present, he is a member of the Congress Working

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Description

Language: Sanskrit Text with Hindi Translation
Pages: 240

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Description

Which fort in Rajasthan did Rudyard Kipling refer to as 'the work of giants? What are you wearing if you have put on Saleem Shahi? Who is the first Indian to be dismissed for handling the ball in an ODI? Answer all these questions and more as Derek OBrien takes you on a grand tour of India with over 600 questions that cover topics as diverse as Cricket, Food, Film, Geography, Famous Women, Travel and others. Filled with information on famous Indians, landmarks, achievements, this A-Z of India is a quiz book that will help you know the country in a new and exciting way.......

About the Author: Derek Obrien

Derek OBrien was born in Kolkata. He began his career as a journalist for Sports world magazine but soon shifted to advertising. After working for a number of very successful years as Creative Head of Ogilvy, Derek decided to focus all his energy and talent in his passion—quizzing. Today, Derek is Asias best-known quizmaster and the CEO of Derek OBrien and Associates. He has been the host of the longest-running game show on Indian television, The Cadbury Bournvita Quiz Contest, for which he was voted the Best Anchor of a Game Show at the Indian Television Academy Awards for three years in a row. Always innovating, Derek is also credited with having conducted the first quiz on Twitter in 2010. Derek has written over fifty bestselling reference, quiz and textbooks. In 2011, he was voted to the Rajya Sabha as a Member of Parliament (MP) and is the Leader of the All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party in the Rajya Sabha and the chief national spokesperson. He currently lives in Kolkata. Keep in touch with Derek on Twitter.........

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Rupa Publications
• By : Prakash Singh
• Cover : Paperback
• Language : English
• Edition : 2016
• Pages : 323
• Weight : 280 gm
• Size : 7.9 x 5.5 x 1.6 inches
• ISBN-10 : 8129134942
• ISBN-13 : 978-8129134943

DESCRIPTION:

The Naxalite Movement in India started in 1967 from a small village and gradually spread over large areas of the country, particularly in the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. It was described by the UPA government as the biggest threat to the internal security of the country. The movement has since suffered setbacks but nevertheless retains the capacity to launch lethal strikes and continues to pose a formidable challenge to India’s democratic structure. The Naxalite Movement in India, now in a revised and updated edition, traces the Naxalite movement from its inception to its metamorphosis into a predominantly Maoist movement in a historical sweep.

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Description

The Royal Rajputs-Strange Tales and Stranger Truths is also a human tale of scandal and intrigue, moustaches and harems. Custom, tradition and memories born in those early days all have their reasons. So do the locations of battles and forts.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Manoshi Bhattacharya, who began her medical career in the Indian Navy, is a practising general physician in Gurgaon. She is also the author of Charting the Deep, the history of the survey and mapping of Indian waters

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To scholars in the field, the need for an up-to-date overview of the art of South Asia has been apparent for decades. Although many regional and dynastic genres of Indic art are fairly well understood, the broad, overall representation of India’s centuries of splendor has been lacking. The Art of Ancient India is the result of the author’s aim to provide such a synthesis. Noted expert Sherman E. Lee has commented: “Not since Coomaraswamy’s History of Indian and Indonesian Art (1927) has there been a survey of such completeness.” Indeed, this work restudies and reevaluates every frontier of ancient Indic art – from its prehistoric roots up to the period of Muslim rule, from the Himalayan north to the tropical south, and from the earliest extant writing through the most modern scholarship on the subject.

This dynamic survey-generously complemented with 775 illustrations, including 48 in full color and numerous architectural ground plans, and detailed maps and fine drawings, and further enhanced by its guide to Sanskrit, copious notes, extensive bibliography, and glossary of South Asian art terms-is the most comprehensive and most fully illustrated study of South Asian art available.

The works and monuments included in this volume have been selected not only for their artistic merit but also in order to both provide general coverage and include transitional works that furnish the key to an all encompassing view of the art.

An outstanding portrayal of ancient India’s highest intellectual and technical achievements, this volume is written for many audiences: scholars, for whom it provides an up-to-date background against which to examine their own areas of study; teachers and students of college level, for whom it supplies a complete summary of and a resource for their own deeper investigations into Indic art; and curious readers, for whom it gives a broad-based introduction to this fascinating area of world art.