India

War Classics – Bugles and a Tiger

Nick Spenceley reconsiders Bugles and a Tiger by John Masters.

Indo+Caribbean display at Museum of London Docklands (c) Museum of London

The Past

History of Indian indenture in the British Caribbean explored in museum display

'Indo + Caribbean: The creation of a culture' is free and will run until 19 November as part of the museum’s 'London, Sugar, and Slavery' gallery.

Ashoka and the Maurya Dynasty: the History and Legacy of Ancient India’s Greatest Empire

Review by Robert Harding The ancient Mauryan Empire and its third emperor Ashoka (c.304-232 BC) represent a striking departure for Colleen Taylor Sen. The author’s reputation rests on her series of food books, most notably Curry: a global history. Nevertheless,…

Above Surveys in Assam, North East India, have identified many sites containing large sandstone jars, similar to those known from Laos and Indonesia. left Some of the jars have been found whole, while others are in a fragmentary condition. The most common shape for these jars is a bulbous body with an elongated conical bottom.

Stone jars found in India

Many of the jar sites in Assam contain engraved stone slabs decorated with human figures and other motifs.

ABOVE Thangka painting of the goddess Naro Dakini (a form of Vajrayogini), Tibet, 18th 19th century. Ink and watercolour on cloth, with silk brocade borders. Size of painting: 26.3 x 23cm

Tantra: from ecstasy to enlightenment

Lindsay Fulcher enters the transgressive realm of Tantra. This rebellious Indian cult, which has overturned religious, social, sexual, and political norms from AD 500 to the present day, is currently being celebrated in an exhibition curated by Imma Ramos at the British Museum.

ABOVE An early example from Nepal of a ‘Tantra’ that is, a religious text. BELOW A 13th century temple sculpture showing Bhairava. His impassive expression is undercut by the pair of fangs projecting from his mouth and the severed head clutched in his hand. Members of the demonic dead stand to Bhairava’s left and right.

Tantra: an archaeology of enlightenment

Tantra’s appeal has proven remarkably broad. What began on the margins of Indian society went on to command the patronage of royalty and transform Hinduism and Buddhism as it spread across Asia. Along the way, it created a rich archaeological legacy, capable of provoking radically different reactions from its audiences, as Imma Ramos told World Archaeology.