In spite of the wide popularity enjoyed by Hanuman, no scholar of Indian art thought of devoting his study to him. This task was accomplished by the father-daughter team K.C. Aryan and Subhashini Aryan over two decades ago. The first edition of the book Hanuman in Art and Mythology published in 1975 was an instant success, so widely acclaimed it was by the press (national and international) and the scholarly world alike all over the globe. Over the past twenty years, the author’s fascination with the subject remained undiminished. It would be an exaggeration to assert that the present revised edition examines the complete Hanuman. The god reveals only a few traits of his multi-facetted personality to his devotees. Such is his maya. Even then, the authors have tried their best to present the multiple forms of Hanuman from all parts of this vast subcontinent of India, as well as from different geographical areas in Asia. Particularly interesting is the vast inexhaustible treasure of pataka paintings featuring Hanuman in his esoteric tantrik forms. Shri K.C. Aryan had published them for the first time in the first edition of this book in 1975. He is also the proud owner of these little known art works. The present monograph provides a great deal of original and unpublished material which will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of Indian art. It will be an indispensable reference book on the subject.
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