Of Gods and Books: Ritual and Knowledge Transmission in the Manuscript Cultures of Premodern India
India has been the homeland of diverse manuscript traditions that do not cease to impress scholars for their imposing size and complexity. Nevertheless, many topics concerning the study of Indian manuscript cultures still remain to receive systematic examination. Of Gods and Books pays attention to...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Book |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Berlin
De Gruyter
2016
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| In: |
Studies in manuscript cultures (Volume 8)
Year: 2016 |
| Series/Journal: | Studies in manuscript cultures
Volume 8 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Hinduism
/ Holy books
/ Handwriting
/ Sacred object
/ Sanskrit language
/ Kannada
/ Ritual
|
| Further subjects: | B
Sanskrit language
B Book history South-Asia B Hinduism B Manuscripts, Kannada History B Manuscripts, Sanskrit History B India B Kannada B Cult of the book B Hinduism Rituals History and criticism B LITERARY CRITICISM / Generals B Hinduism Sacred books B Tantric literature History and criticism B ritual practices |
| Online Access: |
Cover Cover (Verlag) Cover (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (Open access) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Parallel Edition: | Erscheint auch als: 978-3-11-047772-6 |
| Summary: | India has been the homeland of diverse manuscript traditions that do not cease to impress scholars for their imposing size and complexity. Nevertheless, many topics concerning the study of Indian manuscript cultures still remain to receive systematic examination. Of Gods and Books pays attention to one of these topics - the use of manuscripts as ritualistic tools. Literary sources deal quite extensively with rituals principally focused on manuscripts, whose worship, donation and preservation are duly prescribed. Around these activities, a specific category of ritual gift is created, which finds attestations in pre-tantric, as well as in smārta and tantric, literature, and whose practice is also variously reflected in epigraphical documents. De Simini offers a first systematic study of the textual evidence on the topic of the worship and donation of knowledge. She gives account of possible implications for the relationships between religion and power. The book is indsipensible for a deeper understanding of the cultural aspects of manuscript transmission in medieval India, and beyond |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 09.11.2016 |
| ISBN: | 3110478811 |
| Access: | Open Access |
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/9783110478815 |