The Puranic World: Environment Gender Ritual and Myth - Hardcover

Vijay Nath

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 8173048010 ISBN 13: 9788173048012

Publisher: Manohar, 2009

Synopsis

A collection of essays written at different points of time, and published in various reputed journals and books. What blends them together is the use of the primary source material in the form of a vast compendium of Pur?n_ic literature (backed by epigraphic, archaeological and anthropological data), which has been utilized to arrive at conclusions pertaining to changes in Indian society and religion during the later half of first millennium ad, when the major Pur?]nas were being compiled.

The period represents a watershed in Indian history, for it marked a transition from a commercially viable economic order to a closed feudal economy. The social and religious dimensions of the Brahmanical system were particularly impacted by such a transition resulting in some innovative forms of restructuring.

It has been the purpose behind most of the present articles to re-assess and utilize the available Pur?n_ic evidence for getting fresh insights into the rationale and precise nature of these changes. The key areas of thrust in these articles are changes in material culture, awareness, and mode of dealing with environmental issues, gender based differentiation, recent ritual formations, such as M?h?d?na and T?rthas, as well as the utilization of myth as a mode of expressing historical reality.

About this title

About the Author

Vijay Nath retired as the Associate Professor, Department of History, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi. She is the author of books, Dana: Gift-system in Ancient India and Puranas and Acculturation: A Historico-Anthropological Perspective, and has contributed papers dealing with ancient Indian social and ritual formations in leading journals and anthologies. She was the sectional president of the Indian History Congress held in Kolkata, 2001.

Edition details

• Publisher: Manohar
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8173048010
• ISBN 13: 9788173048012
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 309