Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal
Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal - Hardcover is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
ISBN : 9788120810389, 8120810384
Year of Publication : 2019
Edition : 1st
No. of Pages : 851
Language : English
Condition : New
Free shipping on orders over Rs. 249
Free shipping on orders over Rs. 249
We offer free shipping on orders above Rs. 249 in India. For orders below this threshold, a nominal shipping fee may apply, which will be clearly indicated during the checkout process.
How long will it take to receive my order?
How long will it take to receive my order?
The delivery time varies depending on your location. Generally, orders are processed and shipped within 1-3 business days. Once shipped, you can track and expect your order to arrive within 3-7 business days (the duration may vary depending on your location). For more information, please refer to our shipping policy.
Chat with a Real Person
Chat with a Real Person
WhatsApp chat is dedicated to assisting with after-sales queries regarding delivery, returns, and payments. Click below to initiate chat with us on WhatsApp:
[Bookstaa WhatsApp Chat].
For all other inquiries, please visit our customer support page or email us at support@bookstaa.com.
Couldn't load pickup availability
Description
Description
"Mesocosm" is a study of Hinduism in its most fully realized form as a symbolic system for organizing the life of a particular kind of city - what the author terms an "archaic" city. The work is a detailed description and analysis of the symbolic world of Bhaktapur, a unicultural city in the Kathmandu Valley, a city which is perhaps the last surviving example of a type of organization once widespread in the ancient world. Robert Levy views Bhaktapur as a structured "mesocosm," mediating between the microcosm of individual self-conception and the macrocosm of the culturally conceived larger universe. The city is a bounded entity, grounded on a minutely divided and interrelated sacrilized space. It uses that space, roles assigned by an elaborate caste system, a semantically differentiated pantheon, and the tempos and forms of the festival year and rites of passage to construct a "civic dance," a web of communication and instruction which deeply affects the experience of Bhaktapur's citizens. Levy investigates the meaning of the community to the people who live there and suggests how the religious forms that have challenged Hinduism in South Asia - Christianity and, above all, Islam - are profoundly antithetical to Hinduism as the organizing principle for cities such as Bhaktapur. "Mesocosm" is a groundbreaking contribution to anthropology, social and religious history, and Indian and Nepalese studies.