India in a Japanese Historical Classic: The Heike Monogatari

The book provides an insight into various curious elements in relation to India that found berth in the Heike Monogatari, a great early thirteenth century Japanese historical classic; and serves as if ‘India as reflected in the Heike Monogatari’. The events of the popular romantic epic are the turning points in Japanese history and culture. The Heike Monogatari has been studies from different angles by the scholars; but how it can focus on the speculation of Indology as a part of Asiatic studies has been undertaken for scrutiny in this book. The Indian-related references embrace a wide range of disciplines such as iconography and art-history, palaeography, mythology, philosophy and event he legends of Indian and Far Eastern Buddhism having a bearing on a broad Asian culture. For instance, history of a set of great Buddhist gold images-‘the most precious set of images in the entire world’; an international script Siddhamatrka that moulded the Far Eastern culture; legends of an Indian dragon king and his daughter enriching the stock of Knowledge of comparative mythology; analysis of the diverse Buddhist aspects such as essence and features of the continent Jambudvipa, Amidism, and a lot more commanding scholarly attention. The book addresses the Indologists, the Buddhologists and the Asian scholars alike, and explains some unraveled mysteries of oriental culture in general and Indian culture in particular on the basis of newly found materials.