Gemmological Studies in Sanskrit Texts

Gemmological Studies in Sanskrit Texts PDF Author: S. R. N. Murthy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Gemology
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Gemmological Studies in Sanskrit Texts

Gemmological Studies in Sanskrit Texts PDF Author: S. R. N. Murthy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Gemology
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description


Jewels, Jewelry, and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary

Jewels, Jewelry, and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary PDF Author: Vanessa R. Sasson
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824889525
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
Renunciation is a core value in the Buddhist tradition, but Buddhism is not necessarily austere. Jewels—along with heavenly flowers, rays of rainbow light, and dazzling deities—shape the literature and the material reality of the tradition. They decorate temples, fill reliquaries, are used as metaphors, and sprout out of imagined Buddha fields. Moreover, jewels reflect a particular type of currency often used to make the Buddhist world go round: merit in exchange for wealth. Regardless of whether the Buddhist community has theoretically transcended the need for them or not, jewels—and the paradox they represent—are everywhere. Scholarship has often looked past this splendor, favoring the theory of renunciation instead, but in this volume, scholars from a wide range of disciplines consider the role jewels play in the Buddhist imaginary, putting them front and center for the first time. Following an introduction that relates the colorful story of the Emerald Buddha, one of the most famous jewels in the world, chapters explore the function of jewels as personal identifiers in Buddhist and other Indian religious traditions; Buddhaghosa’s commentary on the Jewel Sutta; the paradox of the Buddha’s bejeweled status before and after renunciation; and the connection in early Buddhism between jewels, magnificence, and virtue. The Newars of Nepal are the focus of a chapter that looks at their gemology and associations between gems and celestial deities. Contributors analyze the Fifth Dalai Lama’s reliquary, known as the “sole ornament of the world”; the transformation of relic jewels into precious substances and their connection to the Piprahwa stupa in Northern India and the Nanjing Porcelain Pagoda. Final chapters offer detailed studies of ritual engagement with the deity known as Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Avalokiteśvara and its role in the new Japanese lay Buddhist religious movement Shinnyo-en. Engaging and accessible, Jewels, Jewelry, and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary will provide readers with an opportunity to look beyond a common misconception about Buddhism and bring its lived tradition into wider discussion.

Gems and Gem Industry in India

Gems and Gem Industry in India PDF Author: R. V. Karanth
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Precious stone industry
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Empire of Diamonds

Empire of Diamonds PDF Author: Adrienne Munich
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
ISBN: 0813944015
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
In 1850, the legendary Koh-i-noor diamond, gem of Eastern potentates, was transferred from the Punjab in India and, in an elaborate ceremony, placed into Queen Victoria’s outstretched hands. This act inaugurated what author Adrienne Munich recognizes in her engaging new book as the empire of diamonds. Diamonds were a symbol of political power—only for the very rich and influential. But, in a development that also reflected the British Empire’s prosperity, the idea of owning a diamond came to be marketed to the middle class. In all kinds of writings, diamonds began to take on an affordable romance. Considering many of the era’s most iconic voices—from Dickens and Tennyson to Kipling and Stevenson—as well as grand entertainments such as The Moonstone, King Solomon’s Mines, and the tales of Sherlock Holmes, Munich explores diamonds as fetishes that seem to contain a living spirit exerting powerful effects, and shows how they scintillated the literary and cultural imagination. Based on close textual attention and rare archival material, and drawing on ideas from material culture, fashion theory, economic criticism, and fetishism, Empire of Diamonds interprets the various meanings of diamonds, revealing a trajectory including Indian celebrity-named diamonds reserved for Asian princes, such as the Great Mogul and the Hope Diamond, their adoption by British royal and aristocratic families, and their discovery in South Africa, the mining of which devastated the area even as it opened the gem up to the middle classes. The story Munich tells eventually finds its way to America, as power and influence cross the Atlantic, bringing diamonds to a wide consumer culture.

The Journal of Oriental Research, Madras

The Journal of Oriental Research, Madras PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Indo-Aryan philology
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society

The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society PDF Author: Mythic Society (Bangalore, India)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : India
Languages : en
Pages : 512

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Science and Technology of Diamond

Science and Technology of Diamond PDF Author: G. S. Bhatnagar
Publisher: Cambridge International Science Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Nowadays, the diamond is the subject of extensive research in the discipline of physics, geochemistry, geology, geophysics, mining, etc., but much of the new data is widely segregated. An attempt has therefore been made to bring together in one volume current knowledge of various facets of diamond useful to the wide spectrum of readers. Each chapter, written by experts in their particular discipline, is chosen to focus on one of the many facets of this wonder material. An extensive bibliography since 1677, at the end of the book, is an added attraction to the reader. This book is a compilation of seven chapters written by experts from India and abroad. The wealth of current scientific data on various aspects of diamond research with a large number of tables, graphs and diagrams/photos (45) should make this book an important addition to scientific literature of the world.

Indian Books in Print

Indian Books in Print PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English imprints
Languages : en
Pages : 1118

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Accessions List, South Asia

Accessions List, South Asia PDF Author: Library of Congress. Library of Congress Office, New Delhi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : South Asia
Languages : en
Pages : 1718

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Distinctive Beads in Ancient India

Distinctive Beads in Ancient India PDF Author: Jyotsna Maurya
Publisher: British Archaeological Reports Oxford Limited
ISBN:
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
Beads are an enduring artefact commonly found on excavated sites within many different cultures. This study focuses on beads from India, including amulets, pendants, eye-beads and etched beads. The examples cited cover the period from the Palaeolithic through to the medieval period, with discussion focusing on the different types and styles of beads as well as who produced them, the people who wore them and their function or meaning.