Khajuraho-The Name Itself Is Synonymous With Architectural Excellence And Breathtaking Craftsmanship. The World Heritage Temples Of Khajuraho Can Be Regarded As One Of The Wonders Of The East, A Symbol In Stone, Representing The Cosmic System Of Hindu Temples, With A Dash Of Erotica Along With Other Wordly And Divine Scenes. Scholars Will Welcome Dr. Mishra`S Archaeological Material On Different Aspects Of The Excavations Conducted In Khajuraho Since 1980, With Details On The Geography Of The Mounds, The Remains Uncovered And An Analysis Of The Discoveries Made. It Is Noteworthy That The Excavation Of The Shatdhara Mound In The North East Of Khajuraho Takes The History Of The Place To Pre-Chandella Times Readers May Find Useful The Chapter On Conservation And Preservation Efforts At Khajuraho. The Excavation Of The Bijamandala Mound In The Millennium Year By Dr. Mishra Is An Important Discovery.

An inspiring and fascinating look at people’s religious experiences and beliefs. Visions of Mary and glimpses of God. Miraculous apparitions witnessed by hundreds in parking lots, along freeways, and at the world’s holiest sites. Weeping statues, exorcisms, near-death experiences, mystical labyrinths, and more than 250 other unusual and unexplained phenomena, apparitions, and extraordinary experiences rooted in religious beliefs are explored in The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena. J. Gordon Melton, the Distinguished Professor of American Religious History at the Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University, takes readers on a tour among angels, Marian apparitions, and religious figures such as Jesus, the Buddha, Muhammad, and Tao Tzu. Melton reports on dreams, feng shui, statues that bleed, snake handling, speaking in tongues, stigmata, relics—including the Spear of Longinus and the Shroud of Turin—and sacred locales such as Easter Island, the Glastonbury Tor, the Great Pyramids, Mecca, Sedona, and much more. Each entry includes a description of a particular phenomenon and the religious claims being made about it as well as a discussion of what scientists say about it. Transcending the mundane, the entries take no sides on who is right or wrong: the journey is the experience and the experience is the journey. This fascinating encyclopedia is illustrated with 100 pictures and includes a detailed index and additional reading recommendations. It lets you experience the marvels of weeping statues and icons; exorcisms and ecstasy; the grilled cheese sandwich kit for making your own Virgin Mary image; and so much more.

This book offers both an insider and outsider perspective, moving from a period that saw the consolidation of western expertise and custodianship of India's "antiquities," to the projection over the twentieth century of varying regional, nativist and national claims around the country's archaeological, architectural and artistic inheritance, into a present time that has pitted these objects and fields within a highly contentious politics of nationhood.

A Thousand Years Ago, In A Dense Forest In Madhya Pradesh, The Chandella Kings Built An Extraordinary Temple Complex. Some Of These Temples Were Accidentally Discovered By T.S. Burt, A British Engineer, In The Nineteenth Century. Subsequently, The Forest Was Transformed Into A Popular Tourist Destination And The Temples Famed For Their Erotic Carvings Have Been The Subject Of Much Debate And Discussion By Historians And Archaeologists. Sifting Through The Varied Perspectives That Seek To Explain The Erotic Sculptures, Well-Known Art Historian Shobita Punja Unravels The Intricate Web Of Symbolism Found In The Temples Which Embody The Ultimate In The Fusion Of The Spiritual And The Sensual. In The First Part Of This Book, She Details The Historical Development Of Khajuraho Through Its First Thousand Years. This Provides The Context For Her Interpretation, In The Second Part, Of The Ritual Celebration Of Maha-Shivratri As The Key To The Understanding Of The Temples And Their Architecture. In The Epilogue, Punja Deals With The Present Plight Of This Temple Complex Which Despite Being Declared A World Heritage Site, Is Still Much Neglected And Provides A Blueprint For Its Restoration. An Updated Version Of The Critically-Acclaimed Divine Ecstasy: The Story Of Khajuraho, This Is An Eye-Opening Book On One Of India S Most Fascinating Heritage Sites And Is Indispensable Reading For All Those Interested In Rediscovering India S Cultural Past. With Sixty-Seven Photographs.