Based on her long term research on the Deccan region, Dr. Aloka Parasher Sen, Professor Emerita, Department of Sanskrit Studies has published a new book : Gender Religion and Local History The Early Deccan, Primus Books, New Delhi, 2023
Dr. Aloka Parasher Sen
Based on a study of inscriptions, sculptural representations and archaeological and literary sources, the research in this volume is located in different local contexts that focus on gender and ideology in order to discern the dynamics of social change. The seven chapters of the volume address diverse religious spaces—from the folk of the Lajjā Gaurīs to the temple-based Hinduism of the nityasumaṅgali and Chenchu Lakṣmī, from the evolution of orthodox Jaina attitudes to women’s access to sallekhanā and to the expanding Buddhist religious milieu in the midst of vibrant mithuna couples. With a significant number of illustrations, this volume creates a web of local histories that focus on gender to enhance our understanding of resistance, transformation and continual change in the making of social, religious and cultural identities in communities of the early Deccan.
For more details: