Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
Water and Womanhood : Religious Meanings of Rivers in Maharashtra - Anne Feldhaus

Water and Womanhood

Religious Meanings of Rivers in Maharashtra

By: Anne Feldhaus

Paperback | 5 September 2000

At a Glance

Paperback


$69.25

or 4 interest-free payments of $17.31 with

 or 

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

Rivers in India are commonly associated with certain worldly religious values: wealth, beauty, long life, good health, food, love, and the birth of children. However, these "domestic" values have been relatively neglected by Indologists, who have tended to view India and Hinduism through the prism of poverty, misery, asceticism, and themes of purity or pollution. Following recent scholarship by arguing that the earthly pursuits are equally vital to an understanding of popular Hinduism, Feldhaus examines the role of these ideals in the religious meanings of rivers in Maharashtra, a large region of western India. Drawing both on written religious texts and on a wide range of oral, iconographic, and ritual materials gathered in the course of field work in India, she shows that these values, which are usually associated with women or represented by goddesses, are an important motif in popular religious practices and oral traditions associated with the rivers of Maharashtra, and she
presents the many different ways in which rivers are imagined, enshrined, worshipped, and feared.
Industry Reviews
"Does a fine job of exploring an important aspect of folk Hinduism, a long neglected field. Touches on both the feminine and water aspects. A nice addition to an upper level syllabus."--Robert Forman, Hunter College "Excellent general book and classroom text for Religion and South Asia courses, as well as Anthropology."--H.L. Seneviratne, University of Virginia "Excellent work!"--Don St. John, Moravia College "This superb piece of scholarship is indicative of the maturation of Indian Studies in America--deep, thorough, empathetic description coupled with sophisticated analysis. A fine contribution to our understanding of Indian culture."--Richard Lariviere, University of Texas "Feldhaus's scholarship is very impressive....I recommend publication. The work is very readable and nothing like it exists. It is rich, engrossing and meaningful."--Ann Grodzins Gold, Cornell University "Does a fine job of exploring an important aspect of folk Hinduism, a long neglected field. Touches on both the feminine and water aspects. A nice addition to an upper level syllabus."--Robert Forman, Hunter College "Excellent general book and classroom text for Religion and South Asia courses, as well as Anthropology."--H.L. Seneviratne, University of Virginia "Excellent work!"--Don St. John, Moravia College "This superb piece of scholarship is indicative of the maturation of Indian Studies in America--deep, thorough, empathetic description coupled with sophisticated analysis. A fine contribution to our understanding of Indian culture."--Richard Lariviere, University of Texas "Feldhaus's scholarship is very impressive....I recommend publication. The work is very readable and nothing like it exists. It is rich, engrossing and meaningful."--Ann Grodzins Gold, Cornell University

More in Other Non-Christian Religions

Eight Million Ways to Happiness : Wisdom from the Heart of Japan - Hiroko Yoda
Heroes : The myths of the Ancient Greek heroes retold - Stephen Fry
An Introduction To Buddhism : Core Teachings of Dalai Lama - The Dalai Lama
Anam Cara : Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World - John O'Donohue
Tao Te Ching : Penguin Classics - Lao Tzu

RRP $17.99

$16.75

Maps of Meaning : The Architecture of Belief - Jordan B. Peterson

RRP $62.99

$47.75

24%
OFF
Bog Queen - Anna North

Paperback

RRP $32.99

$26.99

18%
OFF
Be Water, My Friend : The True Teachings of Bruce Lee - Shannon Lee
The Book of Enoch - Enoch

RRP $25.25

$23.99

The Egyptian Alchemy Oracle : Timeless Guidance from the Ancient World - Stephen Denham
The Egyptian Book Of The Dead : Arcturus Silkbound Classics - Arcturus Publishing
The Greek Myths : The Complete and Definitive Edition - Robert Graves
The Great Cosmic Mother : Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth - Monica Sjoo
Lao Tzu : Tao Te Ching - Ursula K. Le Guin

RRP $37.99

$30.75

19%
OFF