Representing the Body: Gender Issues in India’s Art

Vidya Dehejia completed a brilliant academic career at Cambridge University, England, where she obtained her B.A., M.A., and Ph. D. degrees. She has since combined active research with teaching activities at the universities of Sydney, Hong Kong, and Delhi. Presently she teaches at Columbia University in New York. Over the years, she has published a wide range of books and scholarly articles. Vidya Dehejia's doctoral thesis was published in 1972 by Thames & Hudson, London and by Cornell University Press under the title Early Buddhist Rock Temples. A Homi Bhabha Fellowship resulted in a book entitled Early Stone Temples of Orissa. More recently, the National Museum in New Delhi has brought out her Yogini Cult and Temples: A Tantric Tradition. The range of her interests is indicated by her most recent, co-authored book with P. Pal from Merchants to Emperors: British Artists and India. 1 75 7-1930. In this present book on Tamil saints, Vidya Dehejia (nee Rama lyer) turns to elucidate a facet of the art of her own Tamil homeland.