The Hindu Monastery in South India: Social, Religious, and Artistic Traditions (Hardcover)
This study analyzes the role of asceticism, icons, and the guru in South India. Tracing the development of Hindu monastic orders, the author analyzes the growth of these institutions from educational establishments to centers of traditional socio-religious authority, centering her argument on the phenomenon of guru whole-body relics.
Nalini Rao is professor of world art at Soka University of America.