Goddesses in Ancient IndiaAbhinav Publications, 1983 - 146 pages Dr. Agrawala S Present Work Largely Represents His Ph.D. Thesis (Approved By The Banaras Hindu University) In A Revised Up-To-Date Form. He Has Brought Out A Most Comprehensive And Thorough Analysis Of The Material On The Worship Of Goddesses In The Proto-Historic And Vedic Periods Of India. A Vast Amount Of Archaeological Evidence Is Carefully Sifted And Analysed By Him In A Truer Cultic Perspective As Throwing New Light On The Role Of Mother-Goddesses In The Protohistoric Cultures Ranging From Small Agricultural Communities Of Baluchistan Foothills To The Highly Developed Harappans. Dr. Agrawala Has Also Identified And Discussed In A Systematic Manner Varied Motifs And Concepts Of Fertility Cultus In The Rgveda And Later Vedic Texts Which Were Subsequently Formulated Into Definite Images, Personifications And Attributes. He Has Marshalled In A Fully Objective Treatment All Those References In The Vedic Literature That Go Now To Reveal Numerous Fresh Aspects Of This Hitherto Unexplored Subject. One Is Able Indeed To See Through The Present Work How The Rgvedic Goddesses,Mostly Abstractions, Later On Assumed Mythical Definitions In The Pantheon And How The Folk Culture Of India Exercised Its Far-Reaching Influences On Higher Priestly Religion Not Only By Contributing Its Own Share Of Goddesses But Also Through Their More Concrete Identification With The Already Existing Ones In Myths And Cult Rituals. |
Common terms and phrases
According Aditi Aditya Agni Agrawala aittiriya Amba Ambika Anumati Apah appears Apsarases Ashtaka aspect associated Asuras Atharvaveda Baluchistan Bhaga Bharati Brahmana texts breasts Chalcolithic connected context cult culture deity difficult Diti divinity Dyaus Earth epithet evidence female fertility figure figures figurines find first goddess gods Gonda Gopatha Harappa headdress horn human hymn Ibid identified Indian Indra Indus invoked Jaimi Kathaka Keith Krttikas Kuhfi Kulli Lakshmi later London lunar Macdonell Mackay Mahi Mait male Mantra Marshall Maya mentioned Mohenjo-daro mother Mother-goddess motherhood myth mythology Neolithic Nirrti nude offering Palaeolithic passages personified possibly Prajapati presiding Prthivi Raka regarded religion representation represented Rgveda Rgvedic rites ritual Rudra sacrifice Samhita Sarasvati Satapatha Brahmana Seal seems significant Sinivali Soma specific stanza statuettes symbolism Tait Taitt Terracotta Tryambaka Upanishad Varanasi Varuna Veda Vedic literature Verse Viraj Vishnu woman womb worship