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OverviewExploring family stories reveals the rich history of a seventh-century Buddhist shrine. As a young girl in Bombay, Kirin Narayan was enthralled by her father's stories about how their ancestors had made the ancient rock-cut cave temples at Ellora. Recalling those stories as an adult, she was inspired to learn more about the caves, especially the Buddhist worship hall known as the ""Vishwakarma cave."" Immersing herself in family history, oral traditions, and works by archaeologists, art historians, scholars of Buddhism, Indologists, and Sanskritists, Narayan set out to answer the question of how this cave came to be venerated as the home of Vishwakarma, the god of making in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Cave of My Ancestors represents the perfect blend of Narayan's skills as a researcher and writer. Her quest to trace her family's stories took her to Ellora; through libraries, archives, and museums around the world; and across disciplinary borders. Equal parts scholarship, detective story, and memoir, Narayan's book ably leads readers through centuries of history, offering a sensitive meditation on devotion, wonder, and all that connects us to place, family, the past, and the divine. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Kirin NarayanPublisher: The University of Chicago Press Imprint: University of Chicago Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.426kg ISBN: 9780226835297ISBN 10: 0226835294 Pages: 272 Publication Date: 24 September 2024 Audience: College/higher education , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Awaiting stock  The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you. Table of ContentsA Few People Who Reappear through This Book A Note on Transcription Joining Palms at Ellora Part I. Names and Speculations 1. The Cave, Code and Cord of Vishwakarma 2. The Carpenters’ “Hut” 3. Shadows of Makers 4. Surpassing Humane Force Part II. Communing with Ancestors 5. As Regards the Cultural Migrations of Artisans 6. The Debt to Gods and Ancestors 7. The Pride of the Vishwakarma Lineage 8. Open Sesame! Part III. The Resident of Ellora 9. Via-Via 10. Ila the Serpent Maiden 11. From Mantras to Tools 12. An Injured Finger and Other Tokens of “Proof” Part IV. Forms in Flux 13. Vestiges of Worship 14. Transformations through Water 15. Locating the Goddess 16. On the Move Hands inside Hands Acknowledgments Maps Notes Bibliography IndexReviews“In Cave of My Ancestors, Narayan tells a fascinating story about one of the world’s most remarkable archaeological sites. This is an outstanding example of how sound scholarship and superb storytelling can be combined.” * Amitav Ghosh, author of The Nutmeg’s Curse * “Few can match Narayan’s ability to tell a story that is at once personal, scholarly, historical, contemporary, ethnographically focused, and yet inescapably global. Sparkling with wit, intelligence, and an abiding sense of humanity, this is a beautiful book and a brilliant achievement.” * Dipesh Chakrabarty, author of The Climate of History in a Planetary Age * “In this engaging and often moving book, Narayan masterfully interweaves a rich autobiographical fragment with ethnohistorical materials that provide a remarkable description and analysis of Western Indian artisan communities.” * David Shulman, coauthor of The Bitter Landscapes of Palestine * Author InformationKirin Narayan is emerita professor in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. She is the author of several books, including My Family and Other Saints, Everyday Creativity, and Alive in the Writing, all published by the University of Chicago Press. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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