Traditions in Motion: Religion and Society in History

This collection of 13 original essays demonstrates traditions in motion through the historical period in South Asia. The essays look at these traditions from the point of view of scholars outside, as well as believers within the tradition. A wide range of religious traditions Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism, and several strands of Islamic and Hindu traditions are discussed in this rich collection.
An insightful introduction by Satish Saberwal and Supriya Verma defines tradition and places the essays in the proper context. The volume begins with a look at the archaeological tradition by Jaya Menon and Supriya Verma. Kumkum Roy goes on to look at the rich textual tradition, focusing on the Arthasastra, Manusmriti and Kamasutra, and Uma Chakravarti and Anindita Mukhopadhyaya discuss the epics. Madhu Trivedi elaborates on the popular Iranian musical tradition of the marsiya in India between the 16th and 18th centuries. Greg Alles essay moves into the realm of the religious traditio ns as he looks at popular Buddhism. R. Champakalakshmi carries the discussion forward with a look at the evolution of the Tamil Saiva tradition from the 6th to the 14th centuries. Anita Raina Thapan looks at the religious beliefs of Sindhi Hindus over the historical period. Ajay Dandekar and Ananya Vajpeyi explore issues around the search for political legitimacy in medieval southwestern Maharashtra. Satish Saberwal poses a wider enquiry of why the south Asian subcontinent came to be partitioned in 1947, with the focus on the interactions between two religious traditions. Finally, Errol D Lima and Rudolf Heredia present the point of view of those who exist within a tradition.