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Forms of Devotion documents a substantive collection of Indian art in the spiritual genre and held in the Museum of Sacred Art. The publication explores an inclusive spectrum of contemporary Indian creativity – classical inspired, tribal, folk and popular arts, reflective of the rootedness and innovation within traditions, as well as new media work in varied manifestations and genres. It features several especially commissioned works and seminal essays by Indian and international experts framed within the context of the history, philosophy and ideology of the culture, the art stems from. The double volume book reflects the diversity and depth of Indian art from varied perspectives and aesthetics. It examines the connection between art and various spiritual ideologies and living traditions as they continue to be practiced and celebrated or questioned by hundreds of artists, from around and beyond the country, in a multi faith context. The artists biographical sketches and their photographs, the bibliography and other reference material, make it a collectors’ delight and a useful stand-alone resource book, first of its kind, on spiritual and devotional Indian art with its multi layered philosophical, mystical and cultural resonance. The book brings forth fresh insights on a subject of universal interest.

Contents: Vol. I: Foreword/Karan Singh. 1. Spirituality and culture: India’s gifts to the world/Martin Gurvich. 2. Acknowledgements/Martin Gurvich and Sushma K. Bahl. Essays: 1. Adi Anadi Anant: continuum/Sushma K. Bahl. 2. Abodes of devotion/George Michell. 3. Imaging devotional theologies/Kenneth R. Valpey. 4. Devotion in art, craft and textiles/Jaya Jaitly. 5. Popular expressions of devotion/Devdutt Pattanaik. Collection A to M. Artists. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

Vol. II: Foreword/Lokesh Chandra. Essays: 1. Dashavatara: The ten incarnations of Vishnu/Steven J. Rosen. 2. Archetypal imagery in neo-tantric painting/Madhu Khanna. 3. Syncretic culture and Islam/Mushirul Hasan. 4. Vernacular Art: work, leisure and devotion in Rurban India/Annapurna Garimella. 5. Methods and materials of traditional painting/Desmond Lazaro. 6. Iti-iti: multiple contemporaries in sacred Indian art/Sushma K. Bahl. Collection N to Z: 1. Artists. 2. Cartographic overview: select devotional art and cultural centres in India. Credits. Index.