An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Deities, Demi-Gods, Godlings, Demons and Heroes

Language: English
Pages: 1683 (B & W Illus: 250, Figures: 231)

From the Jacket :
The Hindu pantheon is a bewildering profusion: a mix
of deities, demons, and heroes, which perplexes not only the neophytes, but even
the best of scholarly minds. Yet, despite the multitude of its divinities,
Hinduism isn't a polytheistic religion. Worshipped over countless generations in
innumerable homes and temples, these deities are, in affect, likened to
"the many facets of a single crystal" - concretizing, as they do, the
basic Hindu world view of an Ultimate Spirituality that is implicit in diverse
attributes or both Nature and human experience.
In sheer volume and imagery, in scope and variety, no other culture has
produced the kinds of mythological characters and incidents that are to be met
within the Hindu Puranic literature and tradition. As one delves into the
complexities and interconnections of names and nuances, exploits and
genealogies, one gets a staggering view of an eerie, yet magnificent world!
Which this Encyclopaedia tries to unveil in its near entirety
Traversing the marvellous maze of Hindu iconography, Professor Fredrick W.
Bunce: a distinguished scholar of Oriental Art, here draws together myriad
iconic representations of gods and godlings, demons and miscreants, fair maidens
and grotesque witches, noble princes and heartless tyrants, ascetic saints and
lustful sages, cosmic strides and incestual liaisons, jealous gods and forgiving
ones, births from breast and form the mind - all these and many more that are
painted on the creative canvas of Hindu pantheon. The author highlights each
pantheonic figure in his/her concretized, recognisable form spelling out the
very nuances of iconic language that have gone into the shaping of Hindu images.
Supported by beautiful visual material, besides exceeding