Nowhere is the tradition of storytelling more deeply rooted than in India, where tales told three thousand years ago are still part of popular culture. In this volume, a rich sampling of the many strands that make up this tradition has been memorably rendered into English.

The stories that await you are an exhilarating mix of devotion, history and myths! Dance of Shiva & Other Divine Tales explores the mysteries that lie behind some of our most ancient and revered temples—from Kanyakumari to Kanchipuram. Revealing the legends behind the origins of these temples and the wonders associated with them, these stories will delight anyone fascinated by Indian folklore. These timeless and enchanting stories narrate the triumph of good over evil; they portray god’s compassion towards man; they reveal the miracles worked by devotion. Immensely engaging and magical, the action in these narratives ranges over heaven and earth: Indra is punished for lusting after a sage’s wife; Narada uses his tricks to stop Shiva’s marriage to Parvati; Kannagi’s curse reduces Madurai to ashes; Vishnu saves Gajendran, the elephant, from the crocodile’s clutches … and much more. A collection that is in equal parts enlightening and enthralling.

In India, a talented dancer sacrifices friends and family for her art.

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.

Originally published in comic book form.

Originally published under the title Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva, this book traces the development of an Indian approach to an enduring human dilemma: the conflict between spiritual aspirations and human desires. The work examines hundreds of related myths and a wide range of Indian texts--Vedic, Puranic, classical, modern, and tribal--centering on the stories of the great ascetic, Siva, and his erotic alter ego, Kama.