The present book throws new light on the gradual development of the concept of Rudra-Siva in his animal, phallic and human forms, since the days of the Harappa Civilization. It examines how Siva, the composite Aryan-non-Aryan Divinity, was not only admitted but was ultimately crowned with an exalted position in the Brahmanical pantheon; how the bull once identified with the deity, was regulated to the position of a vahana; how phallism was related to Saivism and also how Siva, in his different forms, was represented in early Indian Art and the Art of Further India. The wide range and depth of the author's research fills a vital gap in the subject and his treatment of the entire subject is unique. This methodical study on Siva also contains an exhaustive bibliography.

The Historical Jesus: Five Views provides a venue for readers to sit in on a virtual seminar on the historical Jesus. Beginning with a scene-setting historical introduction by the editors, prominent figures in the Jesus quest set forth their views and respond to their fellow scholars. For both the classroom and personal study, this is a book that fascinates, probes and engages.

Na Punyam Na Papam, Na Saukhyam Na Duhkham Na Mantro Na Tirtham, Na Vedam Na Yajna Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivo Ham Beyond Sin And Virtue, Beyond Joy And Sorrow, Beyond Scripture, Ritual And Pilgrimage, And Beyond Familiar Experience. This Is Shiva, In Essence. Once Feared As The Capricious And Terrifying Rudra, Shiva, The Most Un-Brahmanic Of Gods, Has Traditionally Been Shunned By Orthodox Vedic Religion. Although The Shiva We Recognize Today Retains Much Of His Original Contrarian Nature, He Is Firmly Ensconced In Popular Imagination As The Awe-Inspiring Mahadeva, Supreme Lord Of The Universe. In A Unique Attempt To Explore The Varied Planes Of Thought And Belief That Shiva Has Represented Over Millennia, Nilima Chitgopekar Imaginatively Recreates The Defining Moments Of The Great God S Life Through The Eyes Of His Most Intimate Mythological Companions. Vishnu, Sati, Daksha, Parvati And Ganesha Take Turns To Praise, Criticize, Explain, Complain, Sermonize And Rationalize And Through The Prism Of What They Choose To Reveal Of The Shiva They Know, There Emerges The Vision Of A God Who Assimilates In His Person The Most Extreme Contradictions. For Shiva Is As Reclusive As He Is Accessible, As Loved As He Is Feared, And As Fallible As He Is Divine. As The Author Traces The Diverse Threads Of History, Philosophy, Anthropology And Faith That Have Coalesced To Create This Intriguing Deity, She Uncovers The Deeper Truth About Shiva S Unmatched Appeal A Credo Of Simple Devotion To A Unified Godhead, One That Reflects The Eclecticism And Humanity That Form The Very Core Of Hindu Thought.

This book evaluates the evidence for indirect connections between the Aegean and the Indus extending back to the third and fourth millennia BCE, particularly commodities such as tin and lapis lazuli, and discusses recently discovered objects, new methods of materials analysis techniques and topics, as well as iconographic investigation.

One of the three great gods of Hinduism, Siva is a living god. The most sacred and most ancient book of India, "The Rg Veda," evokes his presence in its hymns; Vedic myths, rituals, and even astronomy testify to his existence from the dawn of time. In a lively meditation on Siva--based on original Sanskrit texts, many translated here for the first time--Stella Kramrisch ponders the metaphysics, ontology, and myths of Siva from the Vedas and the Puranas. Who is Siva? Who is this god whose being comprises and transcends everything? From the dawn of creation, the Wild God, the Great Yogi, the sum of all opposites, has been guardian of the absolute. By retelling and interweaving the many myths that keep Siva alive in India today, Kramrisch reveals the paradoxes in Siva's nature and thus in the nature of consciousness itself.

This book, the first of two volumes, explores India’s economic development from 5000BC through to the India’s independence period from 1947AD to 2022AD. The specific characteristics of economic development in India are examined to help determine development paths India can pursue to create sustainable development in the 21st century. The transition from the primary section to the secondary sector, through the process of industrialisation and in turn the move towards the services sector, is discussed in relation to climate change and the pressure on resources posed by population growth. This book aims to contextualise India’s economic development within the political economy of trade, sustainable development and culture with a particular focus on the institutions that have emerged in the Indian sub-continent since 5000BC. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in economic history, development economics, and the political economy.

Whether Vedic people were indigenous habitants or emigrants is a hotly debated current issue. Both sides involved in the debate have been vehemently using the available evidences, with twists – caused at times due to sheer neglect and at times even fraudulently - to bring home their point of view, somehow. Nevertheless, what is the truth? Were there ever any migrations of so-called PIE language speakers, located at some hypothetical and yet uncertain homeland, to spread the language and culture? Are migrations necessary from any hypothetical homeland to result into a net of the languages? What was the geography of Rig Veda? Was the Avesta contemporaneous to the Rig Veda? Did any relation ever exist between the Vedic people and the Indus-Ghaggar civilisation? Is there any relationship between the Vedic religion and the modern Hindu religion? While answering to these vital questions, this book postulates a theory on the issue of the so-called IE languages and origins of the Vedic as well as the Zoroastrian religions. It diligently explains how the religious and cultural ethos of the Indus-Ghaggar Civilisation has flowed to us uninterrupted and exposes the schemes of the Vedicist scholars, who are attempting to claim its authorship!