Synopses & Reviews
Representing the first full-length study of courtly culture in classical India, this book explores the growth of royal households and the development of a courtly worldview in the Gupta period (c. 350-750) and its aftermath. Using both literary sources and inscriptions up to 1200, the book establishes the organization, personnel and protocol of the royal household as the background for a sustained examination of courtly ethics, notions of beauty, and theories of erotic love.
Review
"...this book is necessary reading for cultural historians and graduate students of South Asia." - Michael Linderman, University of Pennsylvania
Synopsis
Daud Ali's 2004 book explores courtly culture in classical India.
Table of Contents
Introduction; Part I. The Rise and Structure of Courtly Life in Early Medieval India: 1. The people of the court; 2. The culture of the court; 3. The protocol of the court; Part II. Aesthetics and the Courtly Sensibility: 4. Beauty and refinement; 5. The education of disposition; Part III. Anxiety and Romance: 6. Courtship and the royal household; 7. The battle of love; Postscript.