O C Handa
29 books
It is perhaps for the first time that a book on the Indian indigenous architecture is attempted. Written in a lucid diction, it deals with the architectural traditions of Indian adivasi communities, highlighting the vital architectural peculiarities of indigenous domestic architecture, which have so far remained completely ignored. The dwellings of adivasi people living in the secluded pockets are the true ‘homes’ in letter and spirit which offer ...
Human has been striving to make his surrounding pleasing to his senses since the earliest time. Although, his sense perception in that age had not been as discerning as of the modern person, yet the innate sense of beauty was natural to him. That is why we feel an invisible umbilical link between the primitive and the modern creative process. In the present study, that invisible link has been explored: the unlettered and unnoticed country folks have been the ...
Kullu has been rightly defined as the Land of Gods, for this magnificent land is the home for some of the finest and ancient wooden and stone temples in the entire Himalayan region. The natural setting of this region, characterised by the verdant valleys and towering mountains, conjures up a vision of serene ambience and natural extravaganza.
The history of region may be traced to a period anterior to the Ramayan Age. The ancient Kullot coins establish existence ...
For the past twenty years, Infinity Foundation based in Princeton, USA, has pioneered many areas of research concerning India’s civilization. Among these has been the 20 volume series on the History of Indian Science and Technology, of which this volume is a part. It policy has been to work with world class scientists, archaeologists and historians to produce works at the highest standards.
India has a glorious past in various spheres of social and economic ...
"Art and Architecture of Uttarakhand is the first ever comprehensive study on the art and architectural legacy of the newly formed hill state of Uttarakhand. This mountainous state can proudly boast of being that part of the subcontinent wherefrom the Indian civilisation developed and proliferated to the pan-Indian dimension. In fact, The Kedarkhand, the classical identity of this region, formed an integral part of the Aryavart or the Bharat. Since the first ...
The Western Himalayan region conjures up a vision of a vast mountainscape, with its snow - crested lofty peaks, verdant mountain slopes, cascading streams and sun-bathed glens and valleys. This region has been one of the most active and vibrant rendezvous for races and cultures since remotest times. Generation after generation, hordes of people, belonging to diverse ethno-cultural backgrounds, different religious beliefs and varying art-traditions have been ...
Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir, and Lahul & Spiti and Kinnaur districts of Himachal Pradesh combined together form a distinct religio-cultural segment of the Western Himalayan region. In this region, Buddhism has been a living religion of the major bulk of the population. This region has attracted attention of the modern explorers, researchers and scholars since the nineteenth century. They have contributed enormously on adventure, travel, religion and ...
Except a few works of the colonial period, nothing wholesome on the history of the region is available. The colonial writers have in a very systematic manner tried to distort the events of the colonial period. This book attempts to set all those wrongs right after analysing the events in their immediate and past contexts. The historical account for the earlier period is burdened with mythical, metaphorical and anecdotal narratives notwithstanding the fact that ...
The present study is devoted to explore and critically examine the art and antiquities belonging to the period from the rise of Buddhism to 8th century A.D. when it was wiped out of this region and many Buddhist traditions were either lost or assimilated. Nevertheless, Buddhism is still a living force in Lahul & Spiti and Kinnaur regions of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh of Jammu & Kashmir under the Buddhist traditions that proliferated in Tibet under the ...
Art and Architecture of Uttaranchal is the first ever comprehensive study on the art and architectural legacy of the newly formed hill state of Uttaranchal. This mountainous state can proudly boast of being that part of the subcontinent wherefrom the Indian Civilisation developed and proliferated to the pan-Indian dimension. In fact, The Kedarkhand, the classical identity of this region, formed an integral part of the Aryavart or the Bharat. Since the first ...
It is for the first time that a detailed and comprehensive study on the snake cults and traditions in the Western Himalaya has been undertaken. In the present study, the genesis of the snake cult among the prehistoric communities in the North Indian mainland has been traced. How the snake cult spread in the Western Himalayan interiors among the native inhabitants has been outlined in a vivid, logical and detailed manner.
The factors responsible for the fusion of ...
There already exists considerable literature, produced by eminent scholars, on various aspects of Miniature Painting, most of it written with a distinct bias for the political history of the erstwhile princely states. But the aesthetic aspects of that art-tradition have somehow remained sidetracked notwithstanding the fact that Miniature Painting has been called as the 'music in lines'. There is, thus, always a need to reorient the approach about the appreciation ...
Ancient Brahmpur (Brahmaur) kingdom is the traditional home of Gaddis, hence also called Gadderan. Brahmpur has been the only Himalayan Kingdom that may claim its antiquity to as early as 6th century, based on its magnificent wooden and stone temples, exquisite image, inscriptions, etc., which reflect an amalgam of varied religion-artistic traditions. In the present work, all the temples and images have been discussed at length in the light of evidences found ...
Lahul and Spiti and Kinnaur Districts of Himachal and Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir form a distinct religio-cultural entity in the Western Himalayan region. Tibetan Buddhism has been a living and thriving religion in this region. The popular folk traditions and material archaeological evidences amply testify that before the Tibetan Buddhism was introduced in this region, Indian Mahayanic Buddhism flourished here since the days of Kushanas. Thus, in this ...
The panorama of Himalayan art is as varied and vast as the Himalaya itself. It represents the religio-aesthetic aspirations of the various ethnic people that inhabit it. the very inter-relation between the emotive objectiveness and the physical environment has been fundamental to the folk arts of the Himalayan region since the primitive times. The Himalayan interiors have been a most propitious place for the flowering and fusion of diverse artistic traditions. ...
The western Himalayan region is not only known for its natural grandeur, but it has also been the home of enchanting Folk Arts. Though having passed through the sieve of time, those are still vibrant and colourful in their pristine glory. Located strategically on the northwestern corner of the subcontinent, the Western Himalayan region has been a rendezvous for the multiple of people of various hues and persuasions since the remotest times. While, some of them ...
The present work is a collection of forty-two pen drawings done by O.C. Handa. These depict different facets of natural grandeur of variegated western Himalayan canvas. The scenic valleys, the tranquil lakes, the gurgling rivers, the majestic mountains, the colourful and rich folk-life, the magnificent age-old temples and monasteries, the ancient buildings and forts, the rural settings, etc., which abound this region so profoundly, have become the theme of these ...