TY  - BOOK
AU  - De Simini,Florinda
TI  - Of Gods and Books: Ritual and Knowledge Transmission in the Manuscript Cultures of Premodern India 
T2  - Studies in Manuscript Cultures
SN  - 9783110478815
AV  - BL1111.4 .D4 2016
U1  - 900#23sdnb 
PY  - 2016///]
CY  - Berlin, Boston : 
PB  - De Gruyter, 
KW  - Bibliography. Library science. Information resources
KW  - Hinduism
KW  - Rituals
KW  - History and criticism
KW  - Sacred books
KW  - Indo-Iranian languages and literature
KW  - Manuscripts, Sanskrit
KW  - History
KW  - Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
KW  - Tantric literature
KW  - Book history South-Asia
KW  - Buchkult
KW  - Cult of the book
KW  - Hinduismus
KW  - India
KW  - Kannada
KW  - Ritual
KW  - Sanskript
KW  - Sanskrit
KW  - ritual practices
KW  - Handschrift
KW  - gnd
KW  - Heilige Schrift
KW  - Brahmanismus
KW  - Ritus
KW  - Tantrismus
KW  - Buddhismus
KW  - LITERARY CRITICISM / General
KW  - bisacsh
N1  - Frontmatter --; Contents --; Preface --; 1. Manuscripts, Ritual, and the State in Indian Sources --; 2. The Task of Writing and the Art of Giving --; 3. Manuscripts, Ritual, and the Medieval Literature on Dharma --; 4. The Throne of Knowledge: Aspects of the Cult of the Book in the Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava Tantric Traditions --; Appendix 1 --; Appendix 2 --; Table A: Structure of the Chapters on the Gift of Knowledge in the Sanskrit Law-Digests --; References --; Index of Authors /; Joseph, Kristen de --; Index of Works /; Joseph, Kristen de; Open Access
N2  - India has been the homeland of diverse manuscript traditions that do not cease to impress scholars for their imposing size and complexity. Nevertheless, many topics concerning the study of Indian manuscript cultures still remain to receive systematic examination. Of Gods and Books pays attention to one of these topics - the use of manuscripts as ritualistic tools. Literary sources deal quite extensively with rituals principally focused on manuscripts, whose worship, donation and preservation are duly prescribed. Around these activities, a specific category of ritual gift is created, which finds attestations in pre-tantric, as well as in smārta and tantric, literature, and whose practice is also variously reflected in epigraphical documents. De Simini offers a first systematic study of the textual evidence on the topic of the worship and donation of knowledge. She gives account of possible implications for the relationships between religion and power. The book is indsipensible for a deeper understanding of the cultural aspects of manuscript transmission in medieval India, and beyond
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110478815
UR  - https://www.degruyter.com/cover/covers/9783110478815.jpg
ER  -