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The Lajjagauri and Anandanayaki

A New Light on the Nature and Worship of the Adi-Mata, the Primordial Mother
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Lajjagauri and Anandanayaki explores one of India's oldest goddesses, Lajjagauri, whose images date back to the Indus Civilisation (c. 3000 to 1500 BC). The book traces the historical spread of her devotees, from ancient Ukraine to various parts of India, highlighting her unique place among Hindu goddesses. The author, Ramcandra Cintma Here, delves into her reclusive nature compared to other deities, based on extensive research in western India and recent archaeological findings.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in Hinduism, religious studies, archaeology, and South Asian history, as well as scholars of Indology and cultural anthropology.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Lajjagauri and Anandanayaki by Ramcandra Cintma explores the history and significance of Lajjagauri, one of India's oldest goddesses, with images dating back to the Indus Civilisation c. 3,000 to 1,500 BC.

Her devotees can be traced back even earlier to Ukraine, around 10,000 BCE. In India, new archaeological finds continue to expand the geographical spread of Lajjagauri's followers, most recently including regions such as Odisa.

This work is grounded in the tireless pursuit of her image throughout western India. Unlike thousands of other Indian goddesses whose images are abundantly available, Lajjagauri has become more reclusive as other deities have risen in prominence.

Series: Monash Asia Studies

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  • The Lajjagauri and Anandanayaki
    The Lajjagauri and Anandanayaki by Ramcandra Cintma explores the history and significance of Lajjagauri, one of India's oldest goddesses, with images dating back to the Indus Civilisation c. 3,000 to 1,500 BC. Her devotees can be traced back even earlier to Ukraine, around 10,000 BCE. In India, new archaeological finds continue to expand the geographical spread of Lajjagauri's followers, most...
    Paperback
    $4799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Anne Feldhaus praises this work as a classic scholarship on Hindu goddesses. The discussion covers sexual imagery, fertility cults, and connections with other prominent goddesses and male deities. The English edition, translated by Jayant Bāpaḍ, is recognised as an important contribution to Indology and makes this influential text accessible to a wider audience.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781925835243

Publisher: Monash University Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 August 2020

Country: Australia

Imprint: Monash University Publishing

Illustration: Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Translated by Jayant Bhalchandra Bpa

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Jayant Bhālcandra Bāpaṭ holds doctorates in Organic Chemistry and Indology, and is an adjunct research fellow at the Monash Asia Institute at Monash University. His research interests include Hinduism, goddess cults, the Fisher community of Mumbai, and Jainism, and he has published widely in these areas. He is co-editor with Ian Mabbett of The Iconic Female: Goddesses of India, Nepal and Tibet (Monash University Press, 2008) and Conceiving the Goddess: Transformation and Appropriation in Indic Religions (Monash University Publishing, 2016), and a co-author of The Indian Diaspora: Hindus and Sikhs in Australia (DK Printworld, 2015). For his work in education and for the Indian community, Jayant was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2011. Known popularly as Aṇṇā, Ḍhere was a prolific writer on many aspects of religion in India and on Indian folk culture, especially that of Mahārāṣṭra. He was second to none in the study of ancient Marāṭhī and Saṃskṛt literature and was responsible for bringing to light many rare and lost manuscripts. Ḍhere produced over a hundred books on the religion of the masses. Often working with dense and obscure subject matter, such was Ḍhere’s poetic style of writing that it attracted not only the literati but the average reader as well. Unfortunately, he wrote mainly in Marāṭhī, and occasionally in Hindi. For the first time, this translation makes Ḍhere’s enlightened study of the mother goddess available to English readers, in a substantial contribution to the field.

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