ABOUT THE BOOK
fjrigjwwe9r0pp_Books:Description
Kullu has been rightly defined as
the Land of Gods, for this magnificent land is the home for some of the finest
and ancient wooden and stone temples in the entire Himalayan region. The
natural setting of this region, characterised
by the verdant valleys and towering mountains, conjures up a vision of
serene ambience and natural extravaganza.
The history of region may be
traced to a period anterior to the Ramayan Age. The ancient Kullot coins establish
existence of a regular administrative system here as early as the 1st
century BCE. The archaeological and literary evidences affirm an influential
sway of Buddhism in this region as early as CE 2nd century and the
Chinese pilgrim Hiuen-Tsang found it flourishing during his visit to this
region in about CE 634.
For such good reasons, the Kullu
Valley has attracted notice of many explorers, scholars and administrators
since the colonial period, but most of them confined themselves to its scenic
grandeur. Thus, little is known about its cultural history, archaeology and
architecture despite the fact that it is extremely rich in these areas. The
age-old and magnificent stone and wooden temples and objects of faith
preserved in these reflect vividly the
sociocultural ethos of this region. It is for the first time that the cultural
history, archaeology and architecture of this region have been discussed
critically in the present work, which is largely based on the firsthand study
of the author.
Written in lucid style, the book
is divided in three section: Historical Review, Archaeology and Architecture,
and spread in nine chapters, each dealing with different topic. Being highly
informative and well-illustrated with photographs, sketches and maps, this book
shall be of great interest and use for general readers and research scholars.
ABOUT Author
fjrigjwwe9r0pp_Books:aboutAuthor
Dr. O.C. Handa (born 2nd Oct. 1936) is a well-known
connoisseur of art and culture. Having been in the field now for half a
century, he is an outstanding scholar of history and archaeology of the
Himalayan region.
He has been undertaking
expeditions, many solo ones, to the remotest corners of Himalayan interiors.
That underscores his zeal to explore the extant evidence of history, art and
culture of Himalayan region, and his dedication to acquire the firsthand and
authentic knowledge of the people’s creative enterprise. That quality is
vividly reflected in his writing.
He is a post-graduate in History
from Mysore University, Ph.D. from Meerut University and D. Lit. from Agra
University. Having come from the civil engineering background, he underwent
training in Archaeology. He remained in-charge of Museum & archaeology in
Himachal Pradesh for several years.
Dr. Handa has authored thirty
books on art, history, archaeology and culture of the Himalayan region.
Besides, he has written many research papers for various national and
international journals, and contributed to the Encyclopaedia of Hinduism. Thus,
he has more than five hundred papers to his credit. He has been participating
in the international, national and regional seminars and lecturing at various
forums in India and abroad. He has also been performing for the radio and TV.
Dr. Handa remained member of
different expert committees of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi and the
Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Govt. of India. He remained a fellow of the
Himachal Academy of Art, Language and Culture; Indian Council of Historical
Research (ICHR) and the Indian Institute of Advanced Study at different
periods. He also remained Senior Fellow of the ICHR and fellow of US-based
Infinity Foundation. Presently, he is Director, Indus-Infinity Foundation &
Senior Editor History of Indian Science
& Technology Series (HIST).