Dear List Members,
I am happy to share with you information on my latest book ‘Understanding the Hindu Temple, History, Symbols and Forms’,  which came out  this month. It is a hardcover book with 167 pages and colour illustrations.  The price is of 35 Euros

The book is the second volume of the publication series, 'Studies in Asian Art and Culture' (SAAC) which Prof. Julia Hegewald (University of Bonn) has established with EB-Publishers in Berlin (http://www.ebverlag.de,)

Below are a few information on  the Volume. 

The Hindu temple encompasses multiple symbolic meanings with various levels of interpretation. This book aims to explain  this complex web of symbolism which have inspired and justified the building of the Hindu temple, from the beginnings through the development to the most complex forms. A comprehensive treatment of the diverse aspects of the sacred Hindu architecture is provided, in term of the religious and philosophical principles, the textual heritage, the mythological references and the various iconographic traditions embodied in the  Hindu sanctuaries.

Distinct chapters are dedicated to the following topics:

1) The multi-level relationship between the temple, the cosmos and the body of the primordial being.

2) The antecedents of the Indian sacred monuments – timber and rock-cut  structures.

3) The basic structures of the Hindu temple and the main temple typologies. 

4) Temple sculptural elements, both anthropomorphic and symbolic.

5) The historical, political, economic, and social role played by the temple in Indian society from its medieval origins to modern time.

This multi-faceted subject-matter is also treated in the perspective of a historical comparison of differences and similarities with some fundamental examples from Western traditions and practices of constructing the sacred.  

 Best Wishes,

Tiziana Lorenzetti