The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India: Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu by George Michell lands on the shelves of my shop, where it will be found in my Travel India section.
London: Penguin Books, 1990, Paperback.
Contains: Black & white photographs; Maps; Glossary; Plans;
From the cover: The first of two of the most detailed guides ever written to the major monuments of India.
This first volume covers the Buddhist, Jain and Hindu monuments of India. The introductory section gives a lucid and accessible account of the rise of the three religions and the similarities between them that lend India its cultural cohesiveness. The interlocking symbolic systems and mythologies of these three religions are linked to the sites themselves and to the architectural forms of temples and shrines. The lively and picturesque stories that surround the major deities and saints are related to sculptures and paintings.
George Michell places the monuments into their historical and cultural context and offers a fascinating overview of Indian religious practices, still very much alive today. There follows an extensive architectural gazetteer, subdivided into six regions. Each has an illustrated introduction, a regional map and detailed descriptions of sites. Many entries arc accompanied by specially commissioned maps and site plans. Dynastic charts are provided to help locate the sites historically, and for further clarification there is a glossary of architectural terms, both English and Indian.
Very Good. Gently rubbed at the edges of the spine and wrappers with a light crease to the edge of the upper. Text complete, clean and tight.
518 pages. Index. Trade Paperback (9¼” x 6¼”).
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