A fascinating 2003 study of the precolonial kingdom of Kota through its historical documents.

This Text Is An Attempt To Reconstruct The Bhakti Movement From The 8Th Century Tamil Nadu To The 16Th Century Punjab, In Its Totality, As A Connected Organic Phenomenon And As Perhaps The Earliest Indian Voice Of Deconstructive Modern Thought.

This updated, revised version of the important 1988 first edition ("must reading for anyone seriously probing religious pluralism in our society"--Theology Today) examines the complex relationship between American ideals and increasing religious diversity. In the past two decades, American religion has become more pluralistic and the central dynamic of welcoming versus rejecting religious diversity is even more prominent and nuanced. Explored here are two competing visions of the American Dream as it relates to religion: America as a pluralistic society shaped by its diversity, and America as an assimilative society in which people of all backgrounds become "American."

Contributed articles.

This book explores the structural features of Indian society, such as caste, tribe, sect, rural-urban relations, sanskritization and untouchability. Based on a wealth of field research as well as archival material, the book Interrogates the prevailing thinking in Indian sociology on these structures; Studies Indian society from contemporary as well as historical perspectives; Analyses caste divisions vis-à-vis caste hierarchy; Critically examines the public policies regarding caste-less society, reservations for Backward Classes, and the caste census. This second edition, with four new chapters, will be a key text for students and scholars of sociology, social anthropology, political science, modern history, development studies and South Asian studies.

An illustrated A to Z reference containing more than 700 entries providing information on the theology, people, historical events, institutions and movements related to Hinduism.

Description: One of the foremost leaders of the devotional revolution which swept through Hindu society in the 15th and 16th centuries was Vallabhacarya. In terms of religion, Vallabhacarya's main contribution was his demonstration of the way in which a human being can shed his or her limited, mortal ego in order to rediscover an eternal individual participation in an unlimited divine being. With regard to literature, some of the earliest prose writing in any form of Hindi was produced by Vallabhacarya's followers in the Caurasi Vaisnavan Ki Varta a collection of accounts of personal efforts to apply the teachings of Vallabhacarya to everyday life. The first part of the Bhakti sect of Vallabhacarya deals with Vallabhacarya's life and with his establishment of an organisation for his followers, a philosophical system to explain his view of the world and a spiritual method for putting his teachings into practice. The second part of the book is made up of an English translation of the sections of the Caurasi Vaisnavan ki Varta describing the lives of four early disciples of Vallabhacarya, one of whom was the poet Suradasa.