Shakti by Alka Pande
This book is devoted to the understanding of the omnipresent and all-powerful shakti and her sacred abodes known as peethas. The story of Devi Sati and Lord Shiva ended tragically with the death of Sati. An angry and inconsolable Shiva took Sati' s lifeless body and started the ' Rudra Tandava' or the dance of destruction. To save the world, Lord Vishnu used his ' Sudarshan chakra' to cut the body of Sati into 51 pieces and each part fell at different places on Earth and each become a revered shakti Peetha. Renowned writer and historian Dr Alka pande narrates that while the shakti Peetha represent a single philosophical fold, they are a testament to the diverse legends of shakti. Different peethas which became holy at the touch of Sati' s body have survived hundreds of centuries and have kept alive their local folklore of shakti. Together they evoke the mother goddess as both the nourishing and the destructive force behind the existence of the cosmos. The 51 peethas featured in the book can never be an absolute representation of the peethas of the goddess, since the Devi is anywhere and everywhere.
Dr Alka Pande is an art critic, cultural theorist, teacher, curator and author, who has been passionately involved with the world of art for nearly three decades. She has two postgraduate degrees in History and History of Art and a PhD from Panjab University. She was the Head of Department of Fine Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh, as well as the Chairperson of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi. Recipient of the Charles Wallace Award in 1999-2000, she completed her post-doctoral studies in critical art theory from Goldsmith College, University of London. She received the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government (2006), the Australian-India Council Special Award for her contribution to Indian art (2009) and the Amrita Sher-Gil Samman from the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi (2015). Dr Pande's focus is to promote art by combining art and education, with a continuing engagement with Indian aesthetics. Her curatorial projects include significant exhibitions in India and abroad. Her areas of interest within Indian cultural studies are the aesthetics of the erotic and gender. Reworking on important Indian museum collections is another area of her expertise. A prolific writer on Indology and art history, Dr Pande has authored several acclaimed books including, most recently, The Little Book of Pleasure (2017). Dr Pande is currently the Consultant Arts Advisor and Curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. She is also the curator of the exhibitions at Jor Bagh and Mandi House metro stations.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9789390356492 |
| ISBN 10 | 9390356490 |
| Title | Shakti |
| Author | Alka Pande |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd |
| Year published | 2020-11-20 |
| Number of pages | 248 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |