Feeding a thousand souls : women, ritual, and ecology in India : an exploration of the Kōlam / Vijaya Nagarajan.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780195170825
- ISBN: 0195170822
- ISBN: 9780190858070
- ISBN: 0190858079
- Physical Description: xxvii, 301 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), color map ; 24 cm
- Publisher: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019]
- Copyright: ©2019
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-292) and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Beginnings -- Following lines of beauty -- Rituals -- Thresholds -- Āṇṭāḷ -- Designs -- Embodied mathematics -- Competitions : from village to city -- Embedded ecologies and the earth goddess -- Marrying trees and global warming -- Feeding a thousand souls : a ritual of generosity -- Endings. |
Summary, etc.: | Every day millions of Tamil women in southeast India wake up before dawn to create a kolam, an ephemeral ritual design made with rice flour, on the thresholds of homes, businesses and temples. This thousand-year-old ritual welcomes and honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and alertness, and Bhudevi, the goddess of the earth. Created by hand with great skill, artistry, and mathematical precision, the kolam disappears in a few hours, borne away by passing footsteps and hungry insects. This is the first comprehensive study of the kolam in the English language. It examines its significance in historical, mathematical, ecological, anthropological, and literary contexts. The culmination of Vijaya Nagarajan's many years of research and writing on this exacting ritual practice, 'Feeding a Thousand Souls' celebrates the experiences, thoughts, and voices of the Tamil women who keep this tradition alive. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Kolam (House marks) Women, Tamil > Rites and ceremonies. Hindu decoration and ornament. Hinduism > Rituals. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Bibliomation. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at John P. Webster Library - West Hartford.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
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John P. Webster Library - West Hartford | GT 470 .N34 2019 (Text) | 30401147765436 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |