000			01855nam a22001937a 4500
005			20230621153537.0
008			230621b |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a9789351251668
082			_a294.535 _bVID
100			_aVidyarthi, L.P.  _913011
245			_aThe sacred complex in Hindu Gaya
260			_bConcept Publishing Company _aNew Delhi _c2021
300			_a232 p.
365			_aINR _b500.00
520			_aAmong the places of Hindu pilgrimage Gaya holds a pre-eminent position for reasons more than one. It is only in Gaya that last obseisance to the departed father and forefathers is traditionally paid to let their soul achieve salvation. It is Gaya again which has remained largely unchanged throughout history, thus becoming the focal point of the cultural unity and continuity of Indian civilization. The temples, the kunds, the holy trees, River Falgu, and the other sacred zones of Gaya have their own charming mythology and history attached to them Equally exotic is the family history, life, styles, and functions of the sacred priests (traditionally known as pandas) without whom the pilgrimage to Gaya is unthinkable. This study opens up the mythology, history, and the sacred geography of Gaya in its manifold dimensions. The community life of the Gayawals, the traditional priests, has also been analysed in the light of latest impact of modernism. A complete study of the sacred complex of Gaya in all its religious and sociological aspects, is a potent tool in the hands of social scientists, cultural anthropologists, and scholars of religion, mythology, and civilization. Originally published in 1961, the book earned international recognization and it is being published with a long introduction updating the text by the author.
650			_aHindu priests _913012
650			_aHinduism--Rituals _913013
942			_2ddc _cBK
999			_c5377 _d5377