This book attempts to reintegrate women into the socio-political milieu of early medieval Orissa. Its sources are inscriptions, mostly Sanskrit, that date from the seventh century to the end of the reign of the Imperial Ganga ruler, Anantavarman Codagangadeva (CE 1078-1147). The evidence indicates that royal and non-royal women had varying but undeniably important roles to play in the socio-political fabric of this prominent regional entity. The Bhauma-Kara dynasty (c. mid-eighth/ninth-late tenth century) that witnessed the rule of six women, four of them in succession, is a case in point. In addition, the palpable presence of several other royal and non-royal women is consistently documented in the epigraphic record. This is an aspect that has received very little attention in secondary works, thereby rendering this study a pioneering one. The work follows on from Rangachari’s earlier Invisible Women, Visible Histories: Gender, Polity and Society in North India (7th to 12th century ad), which had focused on important gendered aspects of early medieval north India through an analysis of literary and epigraphic sources of Kashmir, Kanauj, Bengal and Bihar. The invisibilization of women, whereby their presence is routinely ignored or trivialized, was, similarly, its underlying essence. Please note: This title is co-published with Manohar Publishers, New Delhi. Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

In June 1997, A Group Of German And Indian Scholars Assembled At A Conference In Heidelberg Held On The Topic Of `Jagannath Revisited: Studying Society, Religion And The State In Orissa`. The Articles Published In This Book Represent Papers Presented At This Conference. They Include Contributions From Social Anthropology, History, Indology, Religious Studies, Archaeology And Political Science, Discussing Topics As Divere As Religious Practices Amongorissan Adivasis, The Renewal Of The Body Of Jagannath, The History Of Mahima Dharma Sect, The Ritual Politics Of A Dhenkanal Village, And The Rebellious Attitude Of The Jungle King. Even Where Jagannath Is Re-Investigated, It Is His Worship By Subaltern Groups Rather Than The Scriptural, Orthodox View That Is The Present Focus Of Study.

Dynamics of conversion and religious change more generally are extremely complex, yet it is crucial for contemporary societies to understand them. This volume contributes to this understanding by focussing on the processes and modalities of conversion within, between and across various religious traditions (Hinduism, Islamic Reformism, Christianity, indigenous religions) from a multi-disciplinary perspective, including anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history and theology. While the book deals with Indian case studies, the introduction, preface (by Piers Vitebsky) and afterword (by Aparecida Vilaça) also offer a comparative perspective linking the Indian situation to contexts of conversion in other parts of the world. The introduction not only provides an overview of important research on conversion in India, it also intends to advance the general theoretical reflection on conversion, considers analytical tools for further research and discusses the work of important theorists such as Pierre Bourdieu, Joel Robbins and Marshall Sahlins who are not generally referred to in debates on conversion in India.