Description
This book is a result of several years of intensive research which consisted of several visits to the pleasing hamlet of Osian, the libraries and museums of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi. Osian of today is a small town, but in its heyday, it was a bustling city and trade center of Northern India. Here convoys brought grains and produce, the citizens were contented and happy. To demonstrate their love for God, for what He had given them, they built shrines and temples. The temples of Osian are comparable in beauty to those of Khajuraho and Bhubaneswar. The temples or Osian, though in a poor state now, have preserved their record well. The temples read like an illustrated book. In this book, an attempt has been made to show what India was like during the reign of Gujara – Pratiharas. The sculptures of Osian show us what people wore, how they amused themselves, how they worshipped, how they lived, what their social life was like and what they believed in. This book is presented in sixteen chapters. Each chapter is self – contained and deals with a specific aspect of culture. Chapter One introduces the book, Chapter Two talks about the social life whereas Chapters Three through Six tell us about the dress, weapons, cosmetics, educational systems and how the people passed their leisure – time. Chapter Seven of the book deals with the economic life and Chapter Eight tells about the religious beliefs and method of worship. The major religions, including Hinduism and Jainism, are presented in Chapters Nine through Sixteen.
