The Agama Encyclopaedia (Revised Edition of Agama Kosa) (In Twelve Volumes)

Details : 

Publisher : Sri Satguru Publications
Author : S.K. Ramachandra Rao
Language : English
Hardcover : 2308 Pages 
Weight : 4800 g 
Edition : 2005
ISBN : 8170308232

About the Book 

"The Agama Encyclopaedia" by S.K. Ramachandra Rao is a comprehensive reference work on Hindu temples, rituals, and iconography. Spanning twelve volumes, this encyclopaedia provides in-depth knowledge on various aspects of Hinduism, including architecture, art, and symbolism. It's a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and devotees seeking to understand the intricacies of Hindu traditions. A treasure trove of knowledge on Hinduism and its rich cultural heritage. A definitive work on Hindu temples and rituals.

Introduction

The volumes named Agama Encyclopaedia will deal with the temple-culture and Agama framework, the sectarian division of the Agama into Saiva, Vaisnava and Sakta, and the topics selected from the Agama texts will follow. Thus, the entirety of the Agama, literature in so far as it is relevant to the temple-culture is brought within the scope of The Agama Encyclopaedia. The volume deals with the general problems relating to the idea of Agama and the broad details of the tradition that is known after Agama.
In the historical perspective Agamic tradition and the Vedic tradition were initially distinguished, but later the two fused. The circumstances that favoured the separation and integration have been explained. The role that Tantra played in crystallizing the Agama tradition has been elaborately explained and illustrated. And more importantly the volumes deal almost exclusively with the essential details of temple-culture in India Without an adequate appreciation of this context, other aspects of Agama cannot become meaningful. In one of the appendices, a fairly exhaustive account of Tantra has been given, for this has provided the major dimension to the Agama, especially of the Sakta pursuation.
The volumes which were originally published in the period 1989-1994 by the Kalpatharu Research Academy, Bangalore are being reprinted now, and I am grateful to my friend Shri Suni Gupta of the Indian Books Centre, Delhi for publishing a revised edition of the volumes.