Visualizing Space in Banaras: Images, Maps, and the Practice of Representation

This volume deals with the multiple ways in which the unique pilgrimage city of Banaras is visualized, imagined and culturally represented by different actors and groups, especially in the visual media. It looks at the imaginative constructions–both local and exogenous–of the rich topography–of the rich topography of Kashi and shows that such constructions are embedded in social and cultural practices of representation, often contested and never complete. Systematically divided into four parts, the first deals with aspects of the sacred topography. It focuses on the built environment, that is, icons, temples, wells, and graves, their interrelationship and role in historically changing ritual practice. The next section discusses the representation of this sacred topography in maps, bringing out the concepts and configurations seen as most significant. The third part on pictures and images, deals with frontal views, Veduta, panoramas, and postcard photography. The last section covers various representations of everyday space–scarcely articulated but nevertheless fundamental imaginings of the lived world. Well illustrated with images, maps and line drawings, this book will interest scholars and students of Indian history, religion, and culture as well as sociologists, anthropologists, architects, geographers, and those concerned with Banaras and its culture.