Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion
Plant Life in South Asian Traditions
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 1. June 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-78179-120-2 (ISBN)
Description
Plant life has figured prominently in Indian culture. Archaeobotanical findings and Vedic texts confirm that plants have been central not only as a commodity (sources of food; materia medica; sacrificial matter; etc.) but also as powerful and enduring symbols. Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions explores how herbs, trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables have been studied, classified, represented and discussed in a variety of Indian traditions such as Vedism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, indigenous cultures and Islam. Moving from an analysis of the sentience of plants in early Indian philosophies and scientific literature, the various chapters, divided in four thematic sections, explore Indian flora within devotional and mystic literature (bhakti and Sufism), mythological, ritual and sacrificial culture, folklore, medicine, perfumery, botany, floriculture and agriculture. Arboreal and floral motifs are also discussed as an expression of Indian aesthetics since early coinage to figurative arts and literary figures. Finally, the volume reflects current discourses on environmentalism and ecology as well as on the place of indigenous flora as part of an ancient yet still very much alive sacred geography.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
48 figures
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
497 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78179-120-2 (9781781791202)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Fabrizio M. Ferrari is Professor of Indology and South Asian Religions in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Chester. Thomas Dahnhardt is Assistant Professor in Hindi and Urdu Languages and Literatures in the Department of Asian and Mediterranean African Studies at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice.
Content
IntroductionFabrizio M. Ferrari and Thomas Dahnhardt Section 1: Nature, Landscape, Devotion 1. A Modern Kalpavr ksa: Sathya Sai Baba and the Wish-fulfilling Tree Antonio Rigopoulos, Ca'Foscari University of Venice2. "Pagoda Tree": Plants and Other Foliate Motifs on Indian Coins through HistoryShailendra Bhandare, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford3. Divine Flora, Divine Love: The Place of Natural Scenery in the Ultimate Vision of Kr sna BhaktiGraham M. Schweig, Christopher Newport University, USASection 2: Devotion, Ecology, Ritual4. Perfumed Islam: The Culture of Scent at the Nizamuddin Basti Mikko Viitamaki, University of Helsinki5. The Bodhi Tree and Other Plants in the Pali TipitakaAntonella S. Comba, University of Turin6. Wood, Water, and Waste: Material Aspects of Mortuary Practices in South AsiaAlbertina Nugteren, Tilburg University, The NetherlandsSection 3: Ritual, Power, Myth7. The Herbal Arsenal and Fetid Food: The Power of Plants in Early Tantric Exorcism RitualsMichael Slouber, Western Washington University, USA8. Tree-Hugger: The Samavedic Rite of the AudumbariFinnian M.M. Gerety, Brown University and Harvard UniversitySection 4: Myth, Food, Nature9. Caryota Urens: From Vegetable Manifestation of God to Sacred Tree of the Lanjia SaorasStefano Beggiora, Ca'Foscari University of Venice10. Rice and Rice Culture. Cultivation and Worship of a Divine Plant in Western OdishaUwe Skoda, Aarhus University, Denmark11. Agriculture, Floriculture and Botanical Knowledge in a Middle Bengali TextFabrizio M. Ferrari