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This volume addresses research topics within the field of Bhakti literature, the devotional poetry and other compositions of devotional character in the earlier literature of the modern South Asian languages. Its papers range from the roots of the Bhakti tradition in the early history of Krsna to its modern adaptations in nineteenth- and twentieth-century culture.

The object of the study is to restore to its original form the Visaladevarasa, a poetical work composed in Rajasthan probably in the middle of the fifteenth century of our era. Dr Smith has provided a full critical analysis of his method, and he also studies in detail the linguistic elements of the text.

This study introduces a set of concepts for the analysis of late Mughal rule. More specifically it examines the origins and development of the Maratha svardjya or 'self-rule' within the context of declining Muslim power.

The Avestan Hymn to Mithra, written in the fifth century BC, is the one extensive, ancient literary record of the attributes, companions and cult of the Iranian god whose worship spread, five or six centuries later, as far as Britain. Dr Gershevitch here reproduces Geldner's text and critical apparatus of the Hymn, adding his own introduction, translation and commentary.

In this, the earliest thorough analysis of a Braj Bhasa text, Dr McGregor presents one of the oldest known Braj Bhasa prose texts: a Braj commentary on the Sanskrit Nitisataka of Bhartrhari, originally composed about 1600.

In this 1996 cultural history which considers the transformation of southern Indian institutions under British colonial rule, Pamela Price focuses on the two former 'little kingdoms' of Ramnad and Sivaganga which came under colonial governance as revenue estates.

After the Portuguese arrival in Sri Lanka in 1506 religious identity became central to struggles for power on the island. This book explores the relationship between the Portuguese and the Sinhalese during the following century. It contributes to debates regarding state power, caste, ethnicity, and religious identity in pre-modern Asia.

In the ancient Near East the God of Israel stands unique; he is the central character of the Old Testament. The collection of essays in this volume presents the historical background against which belief in him developed and discusses aspects of the topic that remain unresolved or largely unaddressed.

The Pukhtuns are one of the most signficant ethno-linguistic groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This important study of Pukhtun society concentrates on the lives, thoughts and gham-khadi (funerals-weddings) ceremonies of the women, especially of the elite, wealthy and educated women who have largely been overlooked in previous studies.

Love may be a universal feeling, but culture and language play a crucial role in defining it. This broad-ranging collection explores how the discourses of love have developed in South Asia, with contributions by leading scholars from the worlds of literature, history, anthropology, film studies and political theory.

Nizami Ganjavi is one of the foremost figures in Persian poetry, living in Azerbaijan in the second half of the twelfth century. This study of his technical knowledge of botany in his Khamsa (Quintet) reveals the breadth and depth of the education of medieval Persian poets and their readers.

Shows how archaeological discoveries of recent decades have widened and enriched our perception of the political and cultural history of China in the classical era (in particular 323 BCE-316 CE) and reflects the very newest scholarship by a team of international experts.

A 2002 edition of the refutation of the doctrine of Incarnation by the ninth-century Muslim theologian, Abu 'Isa al-Warraq. It is edited and translated by David Thomas and contains the Arabic text alongside the English translation, together with explanatory notes.

The Mughal Empire has long held a fascination for historians, resulting in a rich historiographical tradition on the subject. This book examines the Mughal state on the basis of hitherto unexplored local documents and provides an exciting new interpretation of the relationship between state and society.

A complete catalogue of early books acquired by the diplomats W. G. Aston, Ernest Satow, and Heinrich von Siebold in Japan. The bulk of the 2,500 items are wood-block printed books of the Edo period. The editors' introduction is followed by entries giving title, author/editor/illustrator, date of publication and/or printing, all participating publishers, and the seals of previous owners.

This is a study of the earliest extensive account of Chinese pulse diagnosis, or more accurately, the examination of mai. Dr Hsu focuses on a biography of Chunyu Yi, a doctor of the early Han, and presents the first complete translation into English of the Memoir by Sima Qian.

In his final book, the late Arthur Hatto analyses the Khanty epic tradition in Siberia on the basis of eighteen texts of Khanty oral heroic epic poems recorded and edited by a succession of Hungarian and Russian scholars in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book examines the world view of an indigenous culture as reconstructed from its own words, demonstrates a flexible outline for organising an analytical dossier of the genre of oral heroic epic poetry in a specific culture, and presents an abundance of new information to compare with better-known heroic epics. Consisting of main sections on The Cosmos, Time, The Seasons, Geography, Spirits, Personae, Warfare, Armour and Weapons, and Men's Handiwork, the book also includes a section of background information on the Khanty people. Marianne Bakro-Nagy contributes specialist knowledge of the Khanty language to the linguistic interpretation of the texts, and there is an afterword by Daniel Prior.

This study examines how religious authority was distributed in early Islam. It argues the case that, as in Shi'ism, it was concentrated in the head of state, rather than dispersed among learned laymen as in Sunnism.

Bauls are known as wandering minstrels and mystics in India and Bangladesh. Jeanne Openshaw uses her fieldwork, and oral and manuscript texts, to chart the rise of their present iconic status. Hers is a challenging and comprehensive approach to a spiritual and creative people.

In this 2000 book, the editors bring together an international team of contributors offering a multidisciplinary approach to the evolution of nomadic society. The chapters document the longue-duree of history alongside the rapid transformations of the twentieth century. This is an accessible and interactive book which will attract readers from a variety of disciplines.

In a searching analysis, the author examines the Indian tradition of semantic elucidation known as nirvacana analysis. The book will be an important reference tool for students of Sanskrit and Indian studies, as well as for those in the field of indigenous Indian linguistics.

A remarkable 1996 collection of essays exploring different aspects of religion in Japan by an international team of contributors. The range of subjects include chapters on new religions in post-war Japan, on beliefs about fox-possession in the Heian period and on the religious life of the first shogunate in the late twelfth century.

The four centuries of the Han dynasty from 206 BC to AD 220 witnessed major developments in the ideas of sovereignty. Michael Loewe traces these changes along with some of their religious aspects, including the techniques by which emperors and others were able to forecast the future or to divine about the present.

The articles in this volume cover a wide variety of themes, mainly in the fields of history and social anthropology, with one paper on a literary topic, making this a book of multi-disciplinary interest for those specialising in the study of the Arabian peninsula.

Judith Hadley deploys archaeological discoveries and biblical sources to examine the evidence for the worship of Asherah as the partner of God in the Bible. Her book promises to make a significant contribution to the debate about the exact nature of Asherah and her significance in pre-exilic Israel and Judah.

This volume addresses research topics within the field of Bhakti literature, the devotional poetry and other compositions of devotional character in the earlier literature of the modern South Asian languages. Its papers range from the roots of the Bhakti tradition in the early history of Krsna to its modern adaptations in nineteenth- and twentieth-century culture.

This book studies the importance of North India's military labour market for state and sect formation, social change and the survival strategies of Hindustani villages, and shows how North Indian politics and decision making reflected the multiple alliances and fluid identities of the peasantry.

This broad-ranging examination of Chinese court and state ritual from 1000 BC to AD 1750 represents the first modern comprehensive account of the subject in any language. The essays demonstrate how and why ritual has played such a fundamental and often controversial role in the practice of Chinese politics.

A classic study of Saladin, the scourge of the crusaders, who during the 12th century imposed unity on his dominions, retook Jerusalem, and for a time resisted the Third Crusade. He was a brilliant military leader, a diplomat, politician and administrator who earned a reputation for honesty and chivalry.

In a wide-ranging introduction to the Syriac version of the Old Testament, the book explores the origins of the translation and surveys the text with reference to all the books in the Bible. It will appeal to philologists and historical linguists, as well as to students of Judaism and Christianity.