Tantra and Śākta Art of Orissa

Tantra and Śākta Art of Orissa
Author: Thomas E. Donaldson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 496
Release: 2002
Genre: Art
ISBN:

The author presents a rich and variegated picture of the sakta/ tantra art of Orissa, highlighting the evolving iconography of individual images. He focuses on different forms and depictions of the goddess as Sakti, painstakingly analyzing the architecture of a number of temples and their images.

Tantra and Śākta Art of Orissa

Tantra and Śākta Art of Orissa
Author: Thomas E. Donaldson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 520
Release: 2002
Genre: Art
ISBN:

The author presents a rich and variegated picture of the sakta/ tantra art of Orissa, highlighting the evolving iconography of individual images. He focuses on different forms and depictions of the goddess as Sakti, painstakingly analyzing the architecture of a number of temples and their images.

The Tantra

The Tantra
Author: Victor M. Fic
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2003
Genre: Art
ISBN: 8170174244

Bibliography Index The Tantra Is A Body Of Theories, Techniques And Rituals Developed In India In Antiquity, Which Has Two Fundamental Aspects. The First Aspect Of The Tantra Is The Theory Of Creation, Which Posits That The Universe Has No Beginning And No End, And That All Its Manifestations Are Merely The Projections Of Divine Energy Of Its Creator. The Second Aspect Of The Tantra Is The Belief That The Performance Of Tantrik Techniques And Rituals Facilitates Access To This Divine Energy, Enabling Their Practitioners To Empower Themselves, As Well As Empower Others Associated With Them In The Guru-Disciple Relationship. Thus The Knowledge And Proper Application Of Tantrik Techniques And Rituals Is Believed To Harness The Creator'S Cosmic Energies To The Promotion Of The Mundane As Well As Spiritual Goals Of Their Practitioners. Between The Vii And The Xii Centuries A.D. These Theories, Rituals And Practices Spread To Other Parts Of Asia. In These Parts Their Interaction With Indigenous Traditions Of Shamanism And Other Magical Cults Resulted In Potent Hybrids. These Not Only Served The Personal Needs Of Their Practi- Tioners, But Were Used By The Kings To Summon The Cosmic Forces To Legitimize Their Right And Power To Rule The Ancient Monarchies. Elaborate And Artistically Beautiful Icons Were Developed In Sculpture, Painting, Bronze And Bas-Relief To Portray The Basic Concept Of Tantrik Theories And Various Deities Of The Hindu And Buddhist Pantheons. This Book First Explores The Origin Of The Tantra In India, Its Development And Emergence Of Various Schools Of Hindu And Buddhist Tantrism Over The Centuries. Then It Explores Their Spread From Tantrik Universities In Bihar And Other Centres Of Tantrik Scholarship And Rituals Practised In West Bengal, Orissa And South India At That Time To Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan And Indonesia. The Coloured Plates Illustrate The Iconographic Presentation Of The Basic Theories And Concepts Of The Tantra, As Well As Various Deities Associated With The Pantheons Of Hindu And Buddhist Tantrism Drawn From Different Parts Of The World.

Yoga-Tantra and Sensuousness in Art

Yoga-Tantra and Sensuousness in Art
Author: Teja Nārāyaṇa Miśra
Publisher:
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2003
Genre: Art
ISBN:

Dr. T. N. Mishra Explores The Moral And Philosophical Meanings And Significance Of Yoga And Studies The Philosophies And Practices That Bear Reference To It. Abounding In Illustration, Notes And References To Scholarly Treatises, It Explains Yoga Psychology, Its Classification, Techniques And Stages And Practice And Concentrating On Yoga-Tantra And Its Impact On Indian Art And Architecture.

Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa

Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa
Author: Thomas E. Donaldson
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2001
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9788170173755

The Present Book On The Iconography Of The Buddhist Sculpture Of Orissa Utilizes The Author'S Expertise Of Orissan Brahmanical Art To Develop A Similar Consistent And Reliable Iconographic And Stylistic Evolution For The Buddhist Arts Of Orissa And Its Adherence To, Or Deviation From, Surviving Textual Icono-Graphic Peculiarities. There Is Little Doubt That Orissa Played A Major Role In The Creation, Development And Dissemination Of Buddhist Doctrines And Concepts Throughout India And The Buddhist World, Particularly In Respect To Vajrayana Buddhism And The Iconography Of Sculptural Mandalas. Particular Emphasis In This Book Is Placed On The Reciprocal Influence Between Brahmanical And Buddhist Art In Orissa, Both Religions Expanding At The Same Time In Regard To The Proliferation Of Deities And Their Variant Forms, And Each Apparently Competing With The Other For Patronage And Converts.

Makers of Modern Orissa

Makers of Modern Orissa
Author: J. K. Samal
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
Total Pages: 248
Release: 1996
Genre: History
ISBN: 8170173221

This Work, Drawn Largely From Oriya Sources, Provides A Much-Needed Analysis Of An Important But Often Neglected Topic. This Is The First Book That Provides A Comprehensive Assessment Of The Many-Sided Contributions Of Gourisankar Roy, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Radhanath Roy, Baikunthanath De And Maharaja Krushana Chandra Bhanj Who Were Some Of The Foremost Among The Makers Of Modern Orissa. It Explores The Evolution Of This Area, Its Problems And Triumphs, And Studies The Thoughts And Deeds Of These Five Towering Personalities Of Orissa In The Second Half Of 19Th Century. It Provides An Overall Picture Of The Different Aspects Of 19Th Century Orissa, Social, Political And Cultural. The Text Is Accessible To A Broad Readership And Will Be Of Service To Students And Scholars At All Levels.

Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom

Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom
Author: Dinanath Pathy
Publisher: Working Artists Association of Orissa Anew Delhi
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2001
Genre: Art
ISBN:

Contributed articles.

Śakti Cult in Orissa

Śakti Cult in Orissa
Author: Francesco Brighenti
Publisher:
Total Pages: 540
Release: 2001
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

This Study, In An Ethono-Historical Perspective, Explores The Multi Linear Evolution Of Sakti Worship In Orissa: From The Pre-/Protohistorical Times To The Late Medieval Epoch, And Its Continuity Into The Modern Period With Contextual Focus On Its Probable Genesis, Historical Development, Festivals, Ritualistic Patterns, And Cultural Sources Including Myths, Legends And Folklore.

The Śākta Pīṭhas

The Śākta Pīṭhas
Author: Dineschandra Sircar
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Total Pages: 156
Release: 1973
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9788120808799

The holy places associated with the Mother Goddess and spread over various parts of the indian subcontinent have been popular pilgrim spots for a long time. According to some late Tantric texts ascribable to Eastern India, the number of such Sakta-Tirthas is fifty-one and the present monograph is a dissertation on the origin and development of this conception. Thus it is at the same time the study of a number of Tantric and other texts as well as of certain problems of Tantric religion and of historical geography. It is unique in its approach because Tantra Studies have not progressed satisfactorily so far on scientific lines.

Gods Beyond Temples

Gods Beyond Temples
Author: Harsha V. Dehejia
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2006
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN:

The sacred in the Indian tradition is more an experience than a concept and goes much beyond the narrow confines of an organised temple or even a shrine. The gods of this tradition, as well as those who hold them sacred, are simple and unpretentious yet dignified and self-assured. Whether it is a tree that is held sacred or a naturally occurring stone that is reverred, a river that is the embodiment of divinity itself, an ancestor that is the embodiment of divinity itself, an ancestor that is worshipped, a fabric that is simply draped, a road side shrine on a busy street or a votive terracota horse that is lovingly made and offered, a narrative scroll that holds its audience spell-bound; here is religion at work that is as spontaneous as it is intense, charged with faith, fervor and commitment; now private and now shared, that forms an integral part of the lived lives of these common people, be they rural or urban, tribal or traditional. The rituals and practices for these deities are neither scripted nor canonized, but what they may lack in grandeur, erudition and ceremony, they more than make up in the faith and feeling that they generate. In a civilisation which has encountered majestic truths and erected grand temples, these sacred manifestations and expressions of the ordinary people tend to be sidelined or dismissed by scholars as well as the world at large, as minor or lesser gods worthy of curiosity but not of serious study, but it is important to remember that they have a beauty and presence of their own in the pluralistic Indian tradition.