Description
Book SynopsisDrawing on both textual and archaeological evidence, this study offers an integrated approach to scholarly debates on monasteries and guru relics in South India between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. This study analyzes the role of the guru in the development of Hindu monastic orders, from centers of education to institutions of traditional authority. Focusing on the complex socio-religious context of the whole-body icon, the author analyzes the relic as a nexus of contradictions surrounding sacredness and death.
Trade ReviewIn her praiseworthy work, Nalini Rao integrates archival, archaeological, and textual references to historically ground the contribution of the monastic institutions in Karnataka. With her innovative research, Dr. Rao highlights how the monasteries kept traditional knowledge and practices alive in medieval times. In the wake of cosmopolitan spirituality, this study is timely, not only because it traces the monasteries’ struggles to keep traditional education vibrant, but also because it traces the historical origins of several contemporary guru movements. -- Sthaneshwar Timalsina, San Diego State University
Nalini Rao skillfully examines three distinct types of maṭha: those dedicated to the Advaita teachings established by Śankarācārya, others devoted to the Viśiṣṭādvaita teachings of Rāmānuja, and a third group created in the Dvaita spirit of loving devotion to the family of Śiva or the many incarnations of Vishnu. She presents the first scholarly analysis of the vṛndāvana, the distinct structure that houses in salt the uncremated remains of a revered teacher whose breath and soul have departed the body. This book is highly recommended as an example of the importance of material culture in understanding religion. -- Christopher Key Chapple, Loyola Marymount University
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Hindu Monasteries in a Socio-religious Context
Chapter Two: Beginnings and Growth of Saiva Monasteries
Chapter Three: Vedānta Mathas: Development, Identity, and Patronage
Chapter Four: The Icon and Relic of the Guru
Chapter Five: Multivalent Symbolism of the Vrndavana
Chapter Six: Conclusions
