Logo

Synopsis This book speaks of the contribution of Andhras to the development of its culture covering different aspects of medieval Andhra history. The three sections in this book embodies the subjects on Women and Society; Economy and Trade; Art and Culture. The 20 essays included in this book provide glimpses of the contribution of Andhras to the development of religious ideas, customs, beliefs and practices which are subjected to critical analysis with the tools of new methodologies like psycho-historical approach and socio-biological approach besides re-examining the historical data with a new and fresh outlook. This book addresses the questions of how the mind works in relation to the establishment of certain beliefs and religious practices, gender issues like how women were portrayed in the Jain literature and women’s attitudes and beliefs. The book gives vivid description about the rare and unique images of Ganesa, Siva and Vishnu and the religious ideology that lies behind the carving of such icons and the spread of the ideas and art traditions to South-east Asian countries. Unlike many previous works, it considers the socio-economic background of Pre-colonial Andhra as mainly responsible for the emergence of Andhradesa as a distinct, regional and cultural entity with efflorescence in art and letters. The book based on original sources such as inscriptions, art forms and contemporary literature is codified to suit the research scholars and students with an admixture of research articles and essays relating to the medieval Andhra society, economy and culture which reflects the regional specificity in the development of the art and culture that forms the backbone of Indian culture today.