Varanasi - Portrait Of A Civilization


Book Description

In this magnificent book, made up of images culled from three decades of work, Raghu Rai captures more of Varanasi's distinctive, timeless character than anyone else ever has. Rai paints a portrait not just of a holy city but of an entire civilization, depicting its unique way of life, and showing us worlds within worlds. In photograph after photograph, the secular and the profane coexist; the old can hardly be told from the new. Everything is experienced at once - the ghats, the streets, the faith, the temples, the river, the celebrations, man and beast, the burning bodies, all jostling for space in the same frame. These photographs demonstrate unforgettably how all of India is in Varanasi, inspiring and appalling, ancient and up-to-date. A collector's edition.




Kaleidoscope City


Book Description

'I will never forget my first sight of the river in Varanasi, from the narrowness and constriction of the alleys, thronged with activity, to the sudden release of the waterfront, the labyrinth's end . . . It seems that all of life has its assigned place on the stone steps leading down to the Ganges. Some are used for bathing, others for laundry, washing buffalo, puja (worship, ceremonial offering), and this one for the business of death. The smells are of wood smoke, buffalo dung, urine and jasmine flowers. The sounds are of rustling kites and lowing cattle, crackling wood and prayer. . .'Piers Moore Ede first fell in love with Varanasi when he passed through it on his way to Nepal in search of wild honey hunters. In the decade that followed it continued to exert its pull on him, and so he returned to live there, to press his ear to its heartbeat and to discover what it is that makes the spiritual capital of India so unique. In this intoxicating 'city of 10,000 widows', where funeral pyres smoulder beside the river in which thousands of pilgrims bathe, and holiness and corruption walk side by side, Piers encounters sweet-makers and sadhus, mischievous boatmen and weary bureaucrats, silk weavers and musicians and discovers a remarkable interplay between death and life, light and dark.




Indians


Book Description

What do we really know about the Aryan migration theory and why is that debate so hot? Why did the people of Khajuraho carve erotic scenes on their temple walls? What did the monks at Nalanda eat for dinner? Did our ideals of beauty ever prefer dark skin? Indian civilization is an idea, a reality, an enigma. In this riveting book, Namit Arora takes us on an unforgettable journey through 5000 years of history, reimagining in rich detail the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages. Drawing on credible sources, he discovers what inspired and shaped them: their political upheavals and rivalries, customs and vocations, and a variety of unusual festivals. Arora makes a stop at six iconic places -- the Harappan city of Dholavira, the Ikshvaku capital at Nagarjunakonda, the Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda, enigmatic Khajuraho, Vijayanagar at Hampi, and historic Varanasi -- enlivening the narrative with vivid descriptions, local stories and evocative photographs. Punctuating this are chronicles of famous travellers who visited India -- including Megasthenes, Xuanzang, Alberuni and Marco Polo -- whose dramatic and idiosyncratic tales conceal surprising insights about our land. In lucid, elegant prose, Arora explores the exciting churn of ideas, beliefs and values of our ancestors through millennia -- some continue to shape modern India, while others have been lost forever. An original, deeply engaging and extensively researched work, Indians illuminates a range of histories coursing through our veins.




The World Goes On (Third Edition)


Book Description

Now in paperback, a transcendent and wide-ranging collection of stories by László Krasznahorkai: “a visionary writer of extraordinary intensity and vocal range who captures the texture of present-day existence in scenes that are terrifying, strange, appallingly comic, and often shatteringly beautiful.”—Marina Warner, announcing the Booker International Prize In The World Goes On, a narrator first speaks directly, then narrates a number of unforgettable stories, and then bids farewell (“here I would leave this earth and these stars, because I would take nothing with me”). As László Krasznahorkai himself explains: “Each text is about drawing our attention away from this world, speeding our body toward annihilation, and immersing ourselves in a current of thought or a narrative…” A Hungarian interpreter obsessed with waterfalls, at the edge of the abyss in his own mind, wanders the chaotic streets of Shanghai. A traveler, reeling from the sights and sounds of Varanasi, India, encounters a giant of a man on the banks of the Ganges ranting on and on about the nature of a single drop of water. A child laborer in a Portuguese marble quarry wanders off from work one day into a surreal realm utterly alien from his daily toils. “The excitement of his writing,” Adam Thirlwell proclaimed in The New York Review of Books, “is that he has come up with his own original forms—there is nothing else like it in contemporary literature.”




The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in HIstorical Outline


Book Description

First published in 1965, The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in Historical Outline is a strikingly original work, the first real cultural history of India. The main features of the Indian character are traced back into remote antiquity as the natural outgrowth of historical process. Did the change from food gathering and the pastoral life to agriculture make new religions necessary? Why did the Indian cities vanish with hardly a trace and leave no memory? Who were the Aryans – if any? Why should Buddhism, Jainism, and so many other sects of the same type come into being at one time and in the same region? How could Buddhism spread over so large a part of Asia while dying out completely in the land of its origin? What caused the rise and collapse of the Magadhan empire; was the Gupta empire fundamentally different from its great predecessor, or just one more ‘oriental despotism’? These are some of the many questions handled with great insight, yet in the simplest terms, in this stimulating work. This book will be of interest to students of history, sociology, archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies, South Asian studies and ethnic studies.




Water


Book Description

Far more than oil, the control of water wealth throughout history has been pivotal to the rise and fall of great powers, the achievements of civilization, the transformations of society's vital habitats, and the quality of ordinary daily lives. Today, freshwater scarcity is one of the twenty-first century's decisive, looming challenges, driving new political, economic, and environmental realities across the globe. In Water, Steven Solomon offers the first-ever narrative portrait of the power struggles, personalities, and breakthroughs that have shaped humanity from antiquity's earliest civilizations through the steam-powered Industrial Revolution and America's century. Meticulously researched and masterfully written, Water is a groundbreaking account of man's most critical resource in shaping human destinies, from ancient times to our dawning age of water scarcity.




Luminous Kashi To Vibrant Varanasi


Book Description

Kashi/Banaras/Varanasi is a world of its own, a veritable miniIndia, unique in almost all respects. Its contradictions can be seen inits blend of spirituality and darkness, sanctity and filth, purity anddeceipt, culture and grossness.Luminous Kashi to Vibrant Varanasi presents, as no other bookhas done before, all these aspects of this paradoxical and fascinatingcity, and gives an amazing quantity of information on the city, itshistory, culture and people; its temples and tirthas, mathas andinstitutions; its scholars, some of them the best in the country; itsfestivals and lilas; its literature, music, painting and culture; its silktrade and crafts; and its typical inhabitants: sadhus, pandits, pandas,babus, rais, thugs and gundas. More than all, the book finds out,with the help of mythology and metaphysics, the essence of Kashi its luminosity and its vibrancy! It finally says: walk not in the darkalleys, plunge not in the shallows, but move into the luminosity, anddive deep into the oceans of knowledge. The Kashi you find dependson how far you walk, how deep you dive!




The Many Faces of India: A Portrait of Its People, Places, and Heritage


Book Description

"The Many Faces of India: A Portrait of Its People, Places, and Heritage" is a stunning tribute to the vibrant and diverse country of India. Through a collection of vivid photographs and engaging stories, this book captures the essence of India's beauty, heritage, and cultural richness. The book is organized thematically, exploring different aspects of Indian life and culture. Chapters cover topics such as food and cuisine, art and architecture, religion and spirituality, and festivals and celebrations. Within each chapter, readers are treated to a visual feast of stunning photographs that showcase the unique character and spirit of India. In addition to the visual splendor, the book also offers insightful commentary on the various aspects of Indian life and culture. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the traditions, customs, and beliefs that underpin the Indian way of life, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing modern-day India. "The Many Faces of India" is an ideal book for anyone with an interest in India, its people, and its culture. Whether you are a seasoned traveler or an armchair enthusiast, this book will transport you to the heart of India, offering a fascinating glimpse into its people, places, and heritage. With its beautiful photographs and engaging commentary, it is a true celebration of the many faces of this remarkable country.




Life Along the Silk Road


Book Description

The Silk Road was the most traveled trade route for over 1,000 years until it was eclipsed by maritime trade. Whitfield presents composite stories of merchants, soldiers, artists, and princesses who traveled the route, and presents its history through their personal experiences.




The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean


Book Description

This study of ancient Roman shipping and trade across continents reveals the Roman Empire’s far-reaching impact in the ancient world. In ancient times, large fleets of Roman merchant ships set sail from Egypt on voyages across the Indian Ocean. They sailed from Roman ports on the Red Sea to distant kingdoms on the east coast of Africa and southern Arabia. Many continued their voyages across the ocean to trade with the rich kingdoms of ancient India. Along these routes, the Roman Empire traded bullion for valuable goods, including exotic African products, Arabian incense, and eastern spices. This book examines Roman commerce with Indian kingdoms from the Indus region to the Tamil lands. It investigates contacts between the Roman Empire and powerful African kingdoms, including the Nilotic regime that ruled Meroe and the rising Axumite Realm. Further chapters explore Roman dealings with the Arab kingdoms of southern Arabia, including the Saba-Himyarites and the Hadramaut Regime, which sent caravans along the incense trail to the ancient rock-carved city of Petra. The first book to bring these subjects together in a single comprehensive study, The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean reveals Rome’s impact on the ancient world and explains how international trade funded the legions that maintained imperial rule.