Goddess Images Are Omnipresent Within The Cultural Fabric Of India, Yet Most Indians Are Unaware Of Uplifting Meanings These Images Convey. In The Book, Images Of Indian Goddesses,. Dr. Madhu Bazaz Wangu Explains The Emergence Of Indian Goddesses Within The Changing Social, Political And Cultural Environment From The Prehistoric To The Present Times And Explains Their Metaphysical Meanings. Why Are Hindu Goddesses Paradoxical In Nature? Why Are They Portrayed As Erotic And Maternal Simultaneously? Why Do They Have Multiple Arms? Why Do Some Of Them Have Their Own Vehicle (Vahana) And Some Do Not? Why Are Such Images Portrayed On The Popular Calendar- Posters? The Book Answers Such Questions And Helps The Reader Understand Their Meanings. The Goddesses Discussed Range From The Devoted Sita To The Sinister Kali; From The Warrior Durga To The Auspicious Shri Lakshmi; From The Erotic Radha To The Serene Sarasvati And Many Others. Dr. Wangu Firmly Feels That If Experienced Hindu Goddesses Have A Potential For Stimulating The Onlooker'S Innermost Self. Experiencing Goddess Imagery Uplifts This Worldly Life And Ponders The Nature Of The Other -Worldly Existence. Furthermore, The Book Argues That The Goddesses Are Stimulating And Empowering Models Not Only For Indian Women But For All. Images Of Indian Goddesses Helps A Common Person Understand And Appreciate The Bewildering Number Of Female Images Expressed In India'S Sacred Art. The Book Is Not Only Absorbing And Inspiring, It Also Offers A Visual Treasury Of Goddess Art Images. Its Text Is Food For The Mind And The Illustrations Are A Feast For The Eyes.

Replete with inspired illustrations by award-winning artists B.G. Sharma and Mahaveer Swami, Beauty, Power & Grace features Krishna Dharma’s dramatic retellings of pivotal ancient Indian stories of the many Hindu Goddesses. Adapted from ancient Sanskrit texts, the stories in Beauty, Power & Grace represent one of the most fundamental aspects of Hinduism—the innumerable manifestations of divinity. Among these, the portrayal of the Goddess is perhaps the most alluring. She appears as a devoted wife, a master of the arts, a terrifying demon slayer, a scornful critic, and a doting mother, to name just a few of her forms. In Vedic tradition, these depictions of the Goddess reflect the belief that male and female are simply different expressions of one supreme, absolute truth. These profound stories are brought together here in an exquisitely illustrated collection that reveals the various manifestations of the Goddess, ranging from the iconic to the obscure: Mother Yashoda peers into her infant’s mouth and is astonished to catch a glimpse of the entire universe; Ganga Devi, now synonymous with the sacred river, rides upon a great crocodile and purifies those whom she encounters; and Kali, adorned with a garland of skulls, drinks the blood of her victims on the battlefield. A definitive and timeless celebration of Goddess imagery, symbolism, and lore, Beauty, Power & Grace stunningly displays the fascinating intersection between color, form, and meaning at the heart of Hindu tradition.

This Book Looks At The Hindu Gods And Goddesses Found In Temples All Over Village India And Analysis Them In Detail. Richly Illustrated. Almost Every Village Of Any Importance In India Has Its Temple, Round And Which Centres In A Very Large Measure The Corporate Civic Life Or The Community Which Lives In It. The Casual Visitor Is At Once Attracted By The Temple And When Goes There He Sees Various Images In All Sorts Of Incongrous Postures And Is Generally Puzzled To Know What They Represent, And How They Serve To Evoke The Religious Feelings Of The People Worshipping Them. An Attempt Has Been Made In The Present Work To Describe And Classify Them In Various Groups So As To Make Them More Intelliglbe To The Ordinary Visitor. In The Temples Dedicated To The Village Deities The Ceremonial Is Not Much Different, Brahmanas However Rarely Officate And Animal Sacrifices Are Generally Offered, Especially When The Village Is Threarened Whith An Epidemic Or With Serious Scarcity Of Famine.

The Hindu pantheon comprises such a multitude of gods and goddesses that even the most devout can find it difficult to remember their names and characteristics. This self-contained volume presents a comprehensive picture of the gods and goddesses commonly worshiped in India; their origins, and their related myths and legends. It covers the deities from both the Vedic and Puranic literature, as well as demons, sacred birds, and other lore, all accompanied by excellent illustrations from traditional sources.

Chris Pinney demonstrates how printed images were pivotal to India's struggle for national and religious independence. He also provides a history of printing in India.