From the Jacket:

Vaisnavism played a very significant role in socio-religious and artistic expressions of Kashmir in ancient and medieval periods. Vaisnavism carved its due place in the mind of the people in the valley with equal amount, if not more than that of Buddhism and Saivism. In general, the religion of Visnu in the Kashmir valley shared the Pan-Indian notion, yet in certain aspects, it maintained its individualistic approach. Such differences are noted in the texts as well as in the artistic expressions of the valley. The present book deals with the various facets of Vaisnavism in Kashmir with particular reference to the Vaisnava icons nad art. The book deals with Para, Vyuha and Vibhava aspects of Visnu a well as with composite and syncretic aspects of th god. Attention has also been paid to the minor Vaisnavite deities including the personification of Visnu's attributes. There has been a dearth of a comprehensive study of Vaisnava art and iconography of Kashmir and this book is likely to fill that gap.

About The Author:

Dr. Bansi Lal Malla did his M. A. in History from the Kashmir University (1981). He subsequently obtained the degree of M. A. in Museology with Gold Medal (1983) and Ph. D. in History of Art (1987) from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. His first book entitled The Sculptures of Kashmir (600-1200 A. D.) was published in 1990. As a Post-Doctoral Fellow of ICHR, Dr. Malla worked on a project entitled t'The Tree Worship in Ancient India (A Socio-Religious and Artistic Evaluation)' and submitted the same recently. At present he is associated with the Academic Staff of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi. He has to his credit a number of research papers published in reputed journals and has also participated in many national and international conferences/workshops.