Drawing on both textual and archaeological evidence, this study offers an integrated approach to scholarly debates on monasteries and guru relics in South India between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. This study analyzes the role of the guru in the development of Hindu monastic orders, from centers of education to institutions of traditional authority. Focusing on the complex socio-religious context of the whole-body icon, the author analyzes the relic as a nexus of contradictions surrounding sacredness and death.
Nalini Rao is professor of world art at Soka University of America.
In her praiseworthy work, Nalini Rao integrates archival, archaeological, and textual references to historically ground the contribution of the monastic institutions in Karnataka. With her innovative research, Dr. Rao highlights how the monasteries kept traditional knowledge and practices alive in medieval times. In the wake of cosmopolitan spirituality, this study is timely, not only because it traces the monasteries' struggles to keep traditional education vibrant, but also because it traces the historical origins of several contemporary guru movements.--Sthaneshwar Timalsina, San Diego State University Nalini Rao skillfully examines three distinct types of matha: those dedicated to the Advaita teachings established by Sankaracarya, others devoted to the Visistadvaita teachings of Ramanuja, and a third group created in the Dvaita spirit of loving devotion to the family of Siva or the many incarnations of Vishnu. She presents the first scholarly analysis of the vrndavana, the distinct structure that houses in salt the uncremated remains of a revered teacher whose breath and soul have departed the body. This book is highly recommended as an example of the importance of material culture in understanding religion.--Christopher Key Chapple, Loyola Marymount University The role of ascetics and ascetic institutions in India has been fundamental. While there have been some good books written about these in English, Nalini Rao's material and presentation style here is both significant and unique, due to her intimate understanding of South Indian archaeology, history, anthropology, and religious culture. Her source materials are extensive and varied, and her success in integrating these adds to the value of what she makes available to her readers.--Ramdas Lamb, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
