Rethinking India's oral and classical epics : Draupadi among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits / Alf Hiltebeitel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hiltebeitel, Alf.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mahābhārata--History.

Mahābhārata.

Draupadi (Hindu mythology).

Rajput (Indic people)--Religious life.

Rajput (Indic people).

Dalits--India--Religion.

Dalits.

Hinduism--Relations--Islam.

Hinduism.

Islam--Relations--Hinduism.

Islam.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 560 pages) : illustrations, maps

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Il. : University of Chicago Press, c1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Throughout India and Southeast Asia, ancient classical epics-the Mahabharata and the Ramayana-continue to exert considerable cultural influence. Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics offers an unprecedented exploration into South Asia's regional epic traditions. Using his own fieldwork as a starting point, Alf Hiltebeitel analyzes how the oral tradition of the south Indian cult of the goddess Draupadi and five regional martial oral epics compare with one another and tie in with the Sanskrit epics. Drawing on literary theory and cultural studies, he reveals the shared subtexts of the Draupadi cult Mahabharata and the five oral epics, and shows how the traditional plots are twisted and classical characters reshaped to reflect local history and religion. In doing so, Hiltebeitel sheds new light on the intertwining oral traditions of medieval Rajput military culture, Dalits ("former Untouchables"), and Muslims. Breathtaking in scope, this work is indispensable for those seeking a deeper understanding of South Asia's Hindu and Muslim traditions. This work is the third volume in Hiltebeitel's study of the Draupadi cult. Other volumes include Mythologies: From Gingee to Kuruksetra (Volume One), On Hindu Ritual and the Goddess (Volume Two), and Rethinking the Mahabharata (Volume Four).

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Maps and Tables

Plates

Acknowledgments

Conventions

1. Introduction

2. Oral Epics

3. The Elder Brothers and the Heroes of Palnāḍu

4. The Epic of Pābūjī

5. Opening Ālh ā

6. The Nine-Lākh Chain

7. The Story of Kṛṣṇāṃśa

8. Kurukṣetra II

9. Time-Routes through the Kṛṣṇāṃśacarita

10. Their Name Is Legion

11. The Ballad of Rāja Desing

12. Barbarīka, Aravāṉ, Kūttāṇṭavar: Furthering the Case of the Severed Head

13. The Myth of the Agnivamśa

14. Draupadī Becomes Belā, Belā Becomes Satī

Abbreviations

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 513-542) and index.

Description based upon print version of record.

ISBN:

9786612069925

9781282069923

1282069926

9780226340555

0226340554

OCLC:

368647447