Art : Regional Traditions : The Temple of Jagannatha: Architecture Sculpture Painting Ritual/Dinanath Pathy. New Delhi, Sundeep Prakashan, 2001, xxvi, 246 p., $77. ISBN 81-7574-105-8.

Contents: Introduction. 1. Art: regional traditions in South Orissa-an overview. 2. The temple. 3. Theme. 4. Techniques and materials. 5. Stylistic appraisal. 6. Temple traditions. 7. Conclusion. 8. Bibliography. 9. Glossary. 10. Appendices: 1. List of temple sculptures. 2. List of wall paintings. 3. Temple records. 3. List of craft persons in Dharakote. 4. Important personalities of Dharakote at the beginning of the twentieth century (1909 A.D.). Index.

"This publication for the first time focuses on a local art tradition in Orissa, vividly documented and substantiated with visuals. The archaic cult of Jagannatha that upholds Oriya nationalism and claims to be the central focus of Orissan art and culture mirrors in this study with an extra tinge of local flavour—the essence of this book. The readers will discover a socio-religio-cultural structure supporting an art tradition in the Jagannatha temple of Dharakote, a remote princely town in South Orissa. When a large number of Jagannatha temples in Orissa are languishing under want of patronage, such a study highlights the importance and need of documentation which has been painstakingly undertaken by the author. The architecture, sculptures, paintings and rituals of the Jagannatha temple of Dharakote provide an insight into the cult embedded in the glorious Orissan tradition. This insight in fact is the model for further study and research in different geographical units. With growing concern for regional and local researches, this publication has national relevance as an art historical and art ethnological study." (jacket)

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