Table of Contents

Contents: Part I: New Methodology 1. The Rigvedic Frog Hymn, Shaving of Hair and the Adaptation of Monsoonal Culture 2. The Concept of Prana, Monsoon Culture and Visual Art Part II: Artistic Expressions of Estivation/Monsoon Culture 3. Pipal Tree, Tonsured Monks, Ushnisha and Monsoon Culture 4. Chakravartin, the Rainmaker 5. Symbolism of Ashokan Pillars and Monsoon Culture 6. Atmospheric Gestation: Deciphering Ajanta Ceiling Paintings and Other Related Works in Light of Monsoon Culture Part III: Continuity of Monsoon Culture: A Case Study in Nepal 7. The Creatures of the Rain Rivers, Cloud Lakes Newars Saw Them, So Did Ancient Peoples 8. Dance of Conception and Baby Shower: Tracing a Latent Aspect of Durgapuja in Light of the "Rain-baby" Kumara's Cult 9. Shri and Lakshmi and Monsoon Culture List of Sanskrit Words Index

About the Author

Gautama V. Vajracharya is a Sanskritist with a deep interest in South Asian art and culture. He received a prestigious Rockefeller grant to work as a trainee at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and later earned a Masters degree in art history from the Claremont Graduate School, California, and a PhD on South Asian language and culture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.