Ancient Indian Rituals and Their Social Contents

Contents: Preface. 1. The priest and the queen: a study in the rituals of the Asvamedha. 2. The king and the dice: a study in the rituals of the Rajasuya. 3. Food and drink: a study in the rituals of the Vajapeya. 4. The twice-born: a study in the rituals of tribal initiation. 5. Sacred and accursed: a study in the menstrual rites of ancient India. 6. Earth and woman: a study in the cults and rituals of fertility. 7. Death and resurrection: a study in the rituals of Diwali and Holi. 8. Hook swinging: a study in some popular cults and rituals of Bengal. Bibliography. Index.

"The first edition of this work evoked great scholarly interest and was acclaimed as a significant departure from the traditional type of Indological research thus initiating a new line of historical enquiry. Dr. N.N. Bhattacharyya, whose contribution to ancient Indian history and civilization is widely respected, holds that the beliefs and ideals of different civilizations are formulated in their rituals more explicitly than in any other cultural trait which gives the study of ritualism a greater historical significance. For this reason the study of rituals should not be restricted to classifying their contents only. While their geographical and historical distribution should be delineated, it is equally necessary to take into account their basic purpose. This would help reveal the actual social set-up in which they were originally evolved.

In this revised and enlarged edition, the author has demonstrated that all Indian rituals--ancient, medieval or modern--are based on certain well-defined principles which are again inter-related to each other. He has tried to discover these principles after a careful analysis of the ingredients of various rituals. The formulations made in the earlier edition have been critically re-examined and the basic conclusions substantiated by fresh evidence from a variety of sources." (jacket)