Dancing the self : personhood and performance in the Pāṇḍav Līlā of Garhwal / William S. Sax.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sax, William Sturman, 1957-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pāṇḍava līlā.

Self-presentation in literature.

Folk drama--India--Garhwāl--History and criticism.

Folk drama.

India--Garhwāl.

Physical Description:

viii, 224 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2002.

Summary:

For ten years, William Sax studied the inhabitants of the former kingdom of Garhwal in northern India. Sax attended and participated in performances of the pandav lila (a ritual reenactment of scenes from the Mahabharata in a dance) and observed its context in village life. Combining ethnographic fieldwork with sophisticated reflection on the larger meanings of these rituals and practices, this volume presents the information in a style accessible to the uninitiated reader. Sax opens a window on a fascinating (and threatened) aspect of rural Indian life and on Hinduism as a living religion, while providing an accessible introduction to the Mahabharata itself.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-220) and index.

ISBN:

0195139143

0195139151

OCLC:

45248208