A Pageant of Indian Culture : Art and Archaeology (2 Vols-Set)

Contents: Vol. I: Preface. 1. The story of Indian sculpture. 2. A stone Visnu-pata from Mahanad, West Bengal. 3. A note on a terracotta plaque from Nalanda. 4. A bronze Tara and a figure of Ganga from Hooghly, West Bengal. 5. The theme of churning of the ocean in Indian and Khmer art. 6. The king who built the Konarak Temple. 7. Kulu folk-paintings. 8. An early Pala Ms-cover painting with Vessantara Jataka scene. 9. A dated Pancaraksa Ms. of the reign of Govindapaladeva. 10. Iconography of Sarvalha (Sarvahna) Yaksa, Brahmasanti Yaksa, Harinaigamesa (Naigamesa), Kapardi Yaksa, Navagrahas, Ksetrapala, Padmavati Yaksini and Sarasvati in Jainism. 11. Ancient Indian caves: their formal and functional aspects. 12. Baluchar Sari-s from Murshidabad. 13. Dresses and costumes in India: the basic forms and the stylistic varieties. 14. The art of Chamba Rumals: a brief survey. 15. A survey of the art and technique of ivory in India. 16. The peacock in art and literature. 17. Tibetan Tanka--technique and iconography. 18. The sun-god in India and other ancient civilizations: form and symbology. 19. The coin collection of the Indian museum: its history and importance. 20. The Indian museum, Calcutta--a store-house of Indian civilization. Index.

Vol. II: Preface. 21. A re-examination of the paintings of the Sultanate period. 22. Some agricultural and irrigational activities of the Muslim rulers in medieval India. 23. The old cathedral at Zamora, Spain and comparable Indian Muslim architecture. 24. Penman's materials in Islam. 25. The rhythm of the letters in Islam. 26. Muslim calligraphy: its early sanction and its use in Indian inscriptions. 27. An interesting Persian inscription on a Bidri ware from Hyderabad. 28. An Arabic inscription from Gaur, Maldah, West Bengal. 29. A Sultanate period Arabic inscription on a Jaina image from Maldah, West Bengal. 30. Two well-preserved Arabic inscriptions of Nasrat Shah from Santospur, district Hooghly, West Bengal. 31. An inscription of Sultan Mahmud Shah III of Bengal in the Maldah Museum, West Bengal. 32. An interesting Persian inscription in the provincial museum, Orissa. 33. Bilingual coins of Mahmud of Ghazni--a re-study. 34. The coin-types of the early Sultans of Delhi and their successive relationship with the Khalifate. 35. Coins of the Turko-Afghans: their symbology. 36. The style and metrology of the coinage of the early Delhi Sultans. 37. Numismatic reforms of Muhammad bin Tughluq. 38. A rare type of Shahjahan's coin. 39. A Qandahar coin of Muhammad Shah, the Mughal and Mughal-Afghan relations. 40. The Saga of Indian coins. Appendix. Index.

"Any attempt to encompass the vast panorama of Indian culture within the covers of a single volume, except in some select aspects, is almost an impossibility. The present work, by itself a compendium of indological studies, touches upon some salient facets of this culture which expresses itself mainly and broadly in art and archaeology. Of this manifold expression ivory, painting, textiles, etc. in art, and epigraphy, numismatics, iconography, etc. in archaeology constitute the main contents of the book. The work--the fruit of devoted studies for more than four decades--has tried to uncover and present this complex culture, ancient and medieval, in both comprehensive essays and in studies on individual problems, in forty chapters and an appendix. This richly illustrated book seeks to bring to the reader the diverse character of the culture of this sub-continent and its ever-growing efflorescence in different epochs and in different regions, underscoring at the same time its sub-current of unity.

"In its comprehensive character and lucidity of presentation in each survey of the subjects under different chapters, as also in the deep analytical studies on each problem in some of the other chapters, the work not only stands out on its own merit, but is sure to remain as a provocative source-material for further research." (jacket)

[A.K. Bhattacharya served as Director of Indian Museum, Calcutta. He is now a Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow and Senior Fellow Indian Council of Historical Research.]