The first major study of the Hindu monastery; a highly complex architectural form in the heart of the Indian subcontinent. This pioneering book is the first full-length study of the matha; or Hindu monastery; which developed in India at the turn of the first millennium. Rendered monumentally in stone; the matha represented more than just an architectural innovation: it signaled the institutionalization of asceticism into a formalized monastic practice; as well as the emergence of the guru as an influential public figure. With entirely new primary research; Tamara I. Sears examines the architectural and archaeological histories of six little-known monasteries in Central India and reveals the relationships between political power; religion; and the production of sacred space. This important work of scholarship features scrupulous original measured drawings; providing a vast amount of new material and a much-needed contribution to the fields of Asian art; religious studies; and cultural history. In introducing new categories of architecture; this book illuminates the potential of buildings to reconfigure not only social and ritual relationships but also the fundamental ontology of the world.
#1897405 in Books Yale University Press 2013-01-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.90 x .90 x 5.80l; .95 #File Name: 0300187467352 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. rating THE IRON WAYBy walter e. smithIn a graduate course in Civil War History; I wrote a paper on southern railroads in the Civil War. This book showed me what I'd missed. Especially interesting was the way Southern businesses were isolated from European financiers and the way Rothschilds Baring looked at the South's prospects. After the end of the conflict; the U.S. Military RR sold locomotives etc. at cost in some cases just left them where they were - thereby jump-starting the Southern roads.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. All Aboard for the Real ThingBy Richard S. Dixon Jr.This is an excellent book for all concerned. The casual student of the Civil War will find a readable and informative book that breaks new ground in a subject which is saturated with good books (forgive the mixed metaphor; please). Civil War buffs will find even more to read; students will love it for its readable and short (210 pages) format. All in all: a great book on the Civil War; a wonderful essay on the importance of railroads in the development of modern America.The age of the railroad lasted a long time and did much to shape our country; we in the era of planes and computers tend to forget that. I rode the train overnight from Atlanta to Louisville in 1959 to my grandfather's funeral. I don't think we even thought about flying or driving. When I rode the Cardinal from Charlottesville to Cincinnati in 1973; the era of railroading was clearly over; and the railroad was a somewhat backward; somewhat bizarre way of moving from one place to another (the trip cost me $20). Even the bus was more popular; and the railroad carried with it unique challenges: I stood behind singer Burl Ives at the Los Angeles Amtrak station in 1974; who cancelled his ticket to Chicago when he found out they put him in a compartment over the wheels. His last words were: "C'mon; let's go to the airport." I continued on to Chicago; seeing as I was travelling in a seat; no overnight accomodations: LA to Chicago; about $95. Clearly; by the 1970s; the grand railroad had been reduced to a minor; somewhat idiosyncratic player in American transportation. Thomas's book goes a long way to remind us of the once mighty power of the iron rails that girded the land; won a war and set the stage for the modern mess we now find ourselves in.I read this book with a great deal of interest. It is well-written; well-researched; and well-argued. It stands in clear opposition to the idea that the South was a backward; slave-driven agricultural society; moving away from the emerging modern world. Quite the opposite; in fact; as Thomas shows; the South was eagerly embracing modern technology (it had ever since Whitney's cotton gin; in fact) as long as it could carry its slave system into the new world. And it sure tried. Thank goodness men such as Grant; Sherman and Lincoln persevered. Read all about it in this fine book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Review of The Iron WayBy Michael J. DeebThe Iron Way: Railroads; the Civil War; and the Making of Modern AmericaI found the research excellent. But; the work is lacking in maps to support the narrative. Thus It is not as valuable a work as I had hoped. Dr. Michael J. Deeb
