A Pathfinder On

[Introduction & Scope] [ Library of Congress Subject Headings] [Browsing Areas]

[Locations & Abbreviations key] [ Dictionaries ] [ Encyclopedias ] [ Bibliography ]

[Biographical Sources] [Indexes, Abstracts & Databases] [Atlases, Guides & Handbooks]

[Online Dissertations] [Books] [Multimedia Sources] [ Online Resources]

[Page & Contact Information]

Introduction & Scope

Religions have often been deeply involved in political matters as well as cultural developments, thereby dominating secular establishments of many kinds, inspiring individuals to live up to the highest possible personal standards or to exhibit the basest of instincts. No civilization anywhere in the world, with the probable exception of China, has been as continuous as that of India. While the civilizations of Egypt, Babylon and Assyria have disappeared, in India the ideas emanating from the Vedic times continue to be a living force. Indeed, the study of Hinduism has to be, in a large measure, a study of the general Hindu outlook on life. The strength of Hinduism, lies in its infinite adaptability to the infinite diversity of human character and human tendencies. It has its highly spiritual and abstract side suited to the philosopher ; its practical and concrete side congenial to the man of the world ; its aesthetic and ceremonial side attuned to the man of the poetic feeling and imagination ; and its quiescent contemplative aspect that has its appeal for the man of peace and the lover of seclusion. [World Wide Web].

Hinduism as such has no founder. Its magnitudes are more diverse than all the sects of Christianity, and still it remains one Hinduism. The history of Hinduism is incredibly interesting, largely because so little is known about the origins of this religion. It had been somewhat accepted that Hinduism originated when Indo-Europeans called "Aryans" invaded the area now known as Pakistan. It was said that these Aryans had forced their religion on the conquered peoples of this land, created the distinctive caste system that runs hand in hand with Hinduism. Supposedly, the melding of the religions of these two groups of people became Hinduism. More recent research into the matter is leading many people to believe that there never was any such invasion and that the evidence previously thought to have been of war with outsiders was in fact the results of internal conflict and possibly flooding. In any event, a large group of people living in what is now India began practicing what would become Hinduism, around 5000 years ago.

This annotated bibliography is a simplistic attempt to bring together the resources pertaining to the subject of "Hinduism" present in the SUNY-Albany library system at the University at Albany for the benefit of the scholars of religious studies as well as for general audience interested in learning more about one of the oldest religion and civilization of the world.

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Library of Congress Subject headings

The following subject headings may be used when searching for books and other materials related to Hinduism. They are most useful for searching online catalogs, but they can also be used in searching indexes and abstracts as well as the World Wide Web. Also included are broader and narrower topics for deeper research on related sub-topics of Hinduism.

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Browsing Areas

Sometimes, it is difficult to find relevant information through the online catalog. So, one may opt to browse the shelves that contain materials on Religion and Hinduism. The following range(s) of call numbers represent the areas where these materials are located in the library at University at Albany.

Other range of call numbers of interest related to sacred books and Indian languages :

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Locations & Abbreviations Key

Location abbreviations used in this pathfinder :

The common abbreviations used for citations and annotations :

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Dictionaries

There are numerous dictionaries of religon, where they make brief, to sometimes, detailed references to Hinduism and the Hindu world, however, here is a compilation of subject specific dictionaries. These dictionaries provide introductory information as well as useful background information for the study of Hinduism and the art of life as a Hindu. They also provide bibliographies and reading lists that allow users to begin further research. These sources should primarily be used as reference works or as an introduction to the research topic. Some of these dictionaries also concentrate to help in translation from Hindi language to English, or Sanskrit to English, thereby making a good reference tool specially when reading text having many original words from the scriptures.

• McGregor, Ronald S. 1993. The Oxford Hindi-English dictionary. New York : Oxford University Press.
  [UALB ULIB REF PK 1936 M34 1993]
  

  This dictionary is an attempt to meet the standards set up by Platts dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English, interms of datedness of its lexical record, style of presentation and treatment of etymology. This work by McGregor presents a modern dictionary of Hindi and treats the spoken and written language of the twentieth century in which the broad standard of urban usage is emphasized. Many words and expressions falling outside that standard which were recorded in the late ninteenth century are also included as they are still in current use in north India.

• Stutley, Margaret. 1977. A dictionary of Hinduism : its mythology, folklore and development, 1500 B.C.-A.D. 1500. London : Routledge & K. Paul.
  [UALIB ULIB REF 1105 S78X]
  

  This dictioanary, compressing an entire library into an historical glossary, compiles 2500 entries on texts, religious practices, holy places and above all mythical figures but not art. All catch words are in Sanskrit, but an index states English equivalents. A multilingual bibliography numbers 900 titles, and footnotes pinpoint their relevance to individual articles.

• Platts, John T. 1960. A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London : Oxford University Press.
  [UALIB ULIB REF PK 1986 P4 1960]
  

  This work by Platts is regarded by speakers of English as a valuable complement for the study of both modern and early Hindi. The tradition of lexicography in Hindi-Urdu goes back some two centuries, and this dictionary reflects the new circumstances of use of Hindi in the twentieth century with its style of presentation and treatment of etymology.

• Pathak, Ram C. 1965. [12th rev.Anglo-Hindi ed.]. Bhargava's standard illustrated dictionary of the English language. Banaras, India : P. N. Bhargava, Shree Ganga Pustakalaya.
  [UALB ULIB REF PK 1936 P3 1965]
  

  This dictionary presents an illustrated view of the terms used in Hindi with its English equvalents. A very handy and revised edition, it is aimed at the needs of students and scholars as well as for general reference for terms and phrases used in Hindi.

• Vira, Raghu. 1965. [5th Ed.]. A comprehensive English-Hindi dictionary of governmental & educational words & phrases. New Delhi, India : International Academy of Indian Culture.
  [UALB ULIB REF PK 1937 R3 1965]
  

  Following the long history of modern Indian languages, this dictionary draws terms primarily from Sanskrit- the classical source-language of India. The terms are designed to supply all the scores of derivatives, compounds and phrases needed by administration, education, and every other phase of national life.

• Apte, Vaman Shivaram. 1976. The student's Sanskrit-English dictionary : containing appendices on Sanskrit prosody and important literary and geographical names in the ancient history of India. Delhi, India : Motilal Banarsidass, c1890.
  [UALB ULIB REF PK 933 A63 1976]
  

  This dictionary, as the name indicates is designed to meet all the ordinary wants of a High-School or college student. It covers a very large field as it includes epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, the several Puranas etc., grammer, poetry, rhetoric, dramatic literature, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, music and such other scientific or technical branches of learning. The chief feature of the dictionary is that it gives gives quotations and references to the peculiar and noteowrthy meanings of words, especially as they occur in books read by students in School or College.

• Monier-Williams, Monier, Sir. 1899. A Sanskrit-English dictionary etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages. Oxford : The Clarendon press.
  [UALB ULIB REF PK 933 M6 1899]
  

  This dictionary is special in its version as it is a unique presentation of work by German-Sanskrit scholars. The first edition was published in 1872 and this one is a greater enlarged and improved verison. It deals with all the branches of learning and the numerous terms and their meanings arranged in a very original way of presentation.

• Dahmen-Dallapiccola & Libera, Anna. 2002. Dictionary of Hindu lore and legend. London : Thames & Hudson.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 1105 D34 2002]
  

  The dictionary is aimed at all those who are interested in things Indian and curious to explore another facet of human civilization. A list of English subjects with their Sanskrit equivalents, a brief profile of India's most important dynasties, a chronology, and two maps of India have been included for easy reference. Within the dicitonary, cross-references to other entries are printed in small capitals. This book does not, of course, cover every one of the countless aspects of Indian culture, but provides a clear and scholary introduction to the myths, beleifs, practices and arts of India.

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Encyclopedias

The Encyclopedias are a good starting point for reserach in any field. The following sources are a combination of subject specific encylopedias as well some general encyclopedias selected for their special and detailed references to the topic of Hinduism, dieties in female form, and a very interesting encyclopedia of Gods from all the religions in the World, where the highest number of Gods are probably represented by the Hindu religion. These sources should primarily be used as reference works or as an introduction to the research topic. Famous enclyclopedic sources like the World Book and Encyclopedia Britannica also contribute a lot to the understanding of the topic under the heading "Hinduism" and "India". Though they are not included in the citations as this bibliography deals with the specific source selection, however, they are good starting points of reference for the general audience.

• Walker, Benjamin. 1968. The Hindu world; an encyclopedic survey of Hinduism. New York : Praeger.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 1105 W34 1968 V.1&V.2]
  

  This lexicon of 723 entries assembles information about Indian culture and religion using exclusively English sources published between 1850 and 1960. This epitome of British Indology addresses and astonishing array of topics in articles averaging one to two pages, each with English-language bibliography.Its REALLEXICON covers regions and land features, languages and tribes, epics and dieties, plants and naimals, religious and sexual practices, sciences and arts. [Directory of Reference books in religious studies, p.227]

• India 2001 : Reference encyclopedia. 1995-.Bangalore : Mermaid Center ; Indmark Publishing
  [UALB ULIB REF DS 423 I63X V.1 & V.2]
  

  This captivating compendum recounts details of six dimensions of South Asian culture in chapters ranging in length fron eight pages to forty-eight pages. Treatment of architecture, art, music, and above all dance is thorough and ingeniously illustrated. This is a good book for people planning to tour India as it presents accounts of places, persons, art forms and religions and exudes enthusiam and local flavor.

• Religions of the world : A comprehensive encyclopedia of beliefs and practices. 2002. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 80.3 R45 2002 V.2, p.586-597, 619-627]
  

  This encyclopedia has been designed to survey the present religious situation around the world. The text is therefore anchored in a disciplined country-by-country discussion of the emergence of the contemporary religious cimmunity in each of the more than 240 nations, presented in more than 1,200 A-Z entries. The topic of Hinduism is covered under two heading, first as Hinduism under the alphabetical series and later under the subset of India as a country and its religion. The coverage is very comprehensive and useful.

• The encyclopedia of Eastern philosophy and religion : Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. 1994. Boston : Shambhala Publications.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 1005 L4913 1994]
  

  This encyclopedia presents the basic terminology and doctrinal systems of the four great wisdom teaching of the East- Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Zen, in a clearly understandable form. Comprising of about 4000 entries, this book is intended to help general readers find their way though a thicket of unfamiliar terms and comcepts that are frequently encountered today in widely varied fields of interest- in the sciences, in the media, in the health professions, in psycho-therapy, in the study of meditation and in psychophysical training. The bibliography includes several translations of basic texts to counter the difficulties faced in translating original texts from India, Chinese, or Japanese literature. (author)

• Jordan, Michael. 1993. Encyclopedia of Gods : over 2,500 deities of the world. New York : Facts on File.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 473 J67 1993, p. 308]
  

  This encyclopedia contains more thatn 2,500 entries of dieties derieved from both ancient and contemporary cultures. It does not generally include personalities regarded as demigods, demons or mythical heroes. With references to finding about a specific country or religion, the civilization index in the back is a good place to start with, specially in case of Hinduism which has numerous dieties spread all over the book name-wise.

• Who's who of world religions. 1992. New York : Simon & Schuster.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 72 W54 1992]
  

  This book places religion in a truly global setting, with materials from ancient Egypt to Australia. It also seeks to understand individual religions in a world wide perspective. It is the outcome of scholarly collaboration on an international scale with entries by 68 scholars who live and write in different continents. The topic of Hinduism is very widely covered and easy to locate with the help of the index. However, in its introduction, it has denoted subject areas with the help of roman numerals which are then refered to in every entry e.g. xi is for Hinduism.

• Encyclopedia of women and world religion. 1999. New York : Macmillan Reference USA.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 458 E53 1999 V.1, p. 418-432]
  

  This encyclopedia endeavours to present the field of women and world religion by serving as a culturally and historically comprehensive reference work that reflects contemporary approaches to women's history and experience from the beginning of time to the present. All the world's religions are addressed here, but the broadest of coverage is given to the major religions of the world through a series of inter-related articles. In case of Hindu religion, it provides a very good coverage of the women dieties and their importance.

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Bibliography

Bibliographies are an excellent starting point for conducting research on a topic and its related subjects. They are very informative and resourceful when trying to find good books and prominent authors in a certain field. However, for this topic, I could find only one Bibliography available in the SUNY-library.

• Holland, Barron. 1979. Popular Hinduism and Hindu mythology : an annotated bibliography. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1202 Z999 H65X]
  

  The main purpose of this bibliogrpahy is to provide access to all possible works dealing with the subject of popular Hinduism and Hindu mythology, and particularly to works that would have otherwise be unknown and inaccessible. The bibliography is directed toward anyone interested in the numerous aspects of popular Hinduism, both general and specific, whether students, research scholars, teachers, devotees, or merely interested persons. (Author). Though it was published in 1979, it is a very thoughtful bibliographic tool.

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Biographical Sources

In order to fully appreciate and understand Hinduism, it is also important to understand the philosophies of the people who contributed to the refinement of the movement to its present form. The following biographies are meant to highlight several important social reformers, and do not comprise an exhaustive listing. These sources also provide bibliographies which outline other important sources on the topic.

• Agehananda Bharati, Swami. 1962. The ochre robe. Seattle : University of Washington Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1175 A4 A3 1962]
  

  This autobiography by the Swami, a follower of the Hindu religion, projects his experiences of Hinduism as a way of life and also a way of looking at life. As a teacher of Hindu religion, the author has talked about the "tolerance of Hinduism", its influences on his life and his efforts in trying to spread the word.

• Gosvami, Satsvarupa Dasa. 1980. Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta : a biography. Los Angeles, Calif. : Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
  [UALB ULIB BL BL 1175 B445 G67 V.1-V.4]
  

  This is the biography of the founder of the Hare-Krishna movement in United States and later world over. The movement, aslo known as ISKCON (International Scociety for Krishna Consiousness), was started by this fascinating Guru from India who came to visit the US and felt the need to make people aware of their inner consious and the need to relate to God in a very free and giving way. It is an interesting collection of four volumes of text starting from his life in India to his trip to US and his involvements in spreading the religion, religious education, preachings, and impact on the life of people world over.

• Foxe, Barbara. 1975. Long journey home : a biography of Margaret Noble (Nivedita). London : Rider.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1175 N6 F69 ]
  

  This very interesting biography of one of the most famous English woman Margaret Noble aslo known as Sister Nivedita, talks about her encounter with the religion and how it made an impact on her life, her meetings with Sri Ramkrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekanad, and how the people and Hinduism influenced her life and turned her to a social worker in India.

• Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar. 1949.[4th Ed.]. Who is a Hindu? Poona, India : S.P. Gokhale.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1201 S35X 1949 ]
  

  This interesting old book written in biographical form, represents the memoirs of one of the freedom fighters of India also known as Veer(brave) Savarkar for his famous escape from the cellular jail in the Andamans Island in the 1940's. In this biography, published in 1949, when he was finally released and he could go back and retrieve his work which he had written on the walls of the cell as he had no paper, Savarkar attempts to define the characteristics of being a "Hindu" and studies the topic from various view points. A very handy book, it is a great insight into the minds of a freedom fighter.

• Hallstrom, Lisa Lassell. 1999. Mother of bliss : Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982). New York : Oxford University Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1175 A49 H35 1999 ]
  

  This book focuses on a Hindu woman whose life defies categorization yet provides access to some of the most profound and seemingly contradictory themes within the Hindu tradition. Ma (Mother) Anandmayi (aka Nirmala Sundari) was an illiterate Bengali woman , who came to be revered as a Saint, Guru and Avatara (re-incarnation ) during the last 60 years of her life. It is a very inspiring biography with its basis on Hindu religion and its impact on the lives of people who preach it as well as the followers.

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Indexes, Abstracts & Databases

Indexes usually contain listings - often annotated- of a particular group of sources. They exist in print and/or electronic versions. As such there are no subject specific indexes devoted to the topic, however, there are other general indexes that pertain to the range of information that comes in useful for the purpose. Here you can find information on either particular texts and scriptures and also information on different types of ways that you can look at these sources. These sources are easier to use after you have decided what to look for or need more help. All these sources are available to the Faculty, staff and student of SUNY-Albany via the Database Finder section of the Libraries home page of the University at Albany.

• EBSCO Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Publishing.1990. Daily
  

  This is a comprehensive, general index to academic journals covering the social sciences, humanities, education, general science, and multi-cultural studies. Full text is provided for almost 1,530 academic journals. The database also offers abstracts and indexing for close to 2,720 journals. Full text files date from January of 1990, while abstract and indexing files start from January of 1984.

• InfoTrac. Farmington Mills, MI: Gale Group, (1980-). Updated Daily
  

  This is a general database with access to 6,000 publications, including refereed academic journals spanning the disciplines and general interest magazines. There is a particularly strong coverage of business, technology, law, health care and news/newswires. Full text retrieval is available for 3,000 publications. The dates covered are from 1980 to current. Full and partial text retrieval is possible. This database is updated daily.

• WorldCat. Dublin, OH: OCLC Online Computer Center, Inc., 1000 B.C.-. Online Access: World Cat
  

  Contains all the records cataloged by member libraries of Online Computing Library Center. Consists of more than 41 million records from before 1000 BC to the present. Entries are of any type of material (e.g., books, computer data files, computer programs, films and slides, journals, magazines, manuscripts, maps, musical scores, newspapers, sound recordings, videotapes, archival materials, etc). Records representing 400 languages are included. In addition to locating worldwide sources on the Haitian Revolution, one can limit searches to locate items held strictly at the UA Libraries and/or the Internet.

• Historical Abstracts. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, c1998-. Online Access: Historical Abstracts
  

  Encompasses world history from 1450 to the present, excluding Canada and the United States. Covers economic, political, military, diplomatic, intellectual, cultural, social and religious history as well as the history of medicine, science and technology. Almost half of the articles come from English-language journals. This is a good database for locating scholarly resources on the topic of Hinduism from a different point of view.

• Digital Dissertations Abstracts Online. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International (UMI), 1861-. Online Access: Dissertations Abstracts
  

  Contains abstracts of more than 1,560,000 doctoral dissertations and theses submitted by about 400 cooperating universities. Covers most U.S. and many Canadian, British and other European universities. The major list of the print version is alphabetically arranged by subject field and then by university. Includes subject and author indexes in each issue. The print version is separated into two volumes: (A) the humanities and social sciences; and (B) the sciences and engineering. Dissertations can be ordered from UMI in microfilm or hardcopy.

• Expanded Academic ASAP Online . Information Access Co., 1980-. Online Access: Expanded Academic Index
  

  A general database containing information on history, sociology, religion, current events, astronomy, communications, psychology, humanities, law, communications and the general sciences. Provides access to newspapers, news magazines, and scholarly journals. Offers information on Hinduism and related subject areas.

• Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Philadelphia, Pa., Institute for Scientific Information, 1978-
  [ UALIB ULIB REF AI 3 A28X 1992]
  

  Note: University At Albany Faculty, Staff, and Students use only.

  "Offers the unique possibility of searching for scholarly articles from many of the world's leading arts and humanities journals."-from the publisher

• Social Science Abstracts Online. OCLC. Indexing: 1983-, Abstracting: 1994-. Updated Monthly. Social Science Abstracts
  

  "International, English-language periodicals in sociology, anthropology, geography, economics, political science, and law." - SUNY Albany Online Catalog

• Humanities Abstracts Online. OCLC FirstSearch. Indexing 1984-. Abstracting 1994-. Updated monthly.
  

  "Periodicals in archaeology, art, classics, film, folklore, journalism, linguistics, music, the performing arts, philosophy, religion, world history, and world literature."--SUNY Library Home Page

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Atlases, Guides & Handbooks

The sources listed in this section are collections of information intended as a means to guide the reader in his/her further research. Atlases and handbooks are not meant to be in-depth but are, rather, concise sources of specific information. Use these references as a stepping stone to understanding Hinduism.

• Al Faruqi, Isma‘il Ragi A. 1974. Historical atlas of the religions of the world. New York : Macmillan.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 80.2 F28, p.69-96, 299-301]
  

  This historical atlas maps the geography of religion and its varying degrees of development worldwide. Though it concentrates more on the geography of religion dealing with Christianity, it also deals with the geography of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Chinese and Japanese religions at an elementary level. The essays are outstanding as they constitute an introduction to the history of the religions of the world written in most cases by scholars of world reputation who are adherents of faiths they interpret to the reader. It also includes figures, charts, tables, as well as reproduction of great works of art.

• Gupta, Shakti M. 1973. From daityas to devatas in Hindu mythology. Bombay, India : Somaiya Publications.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1105 G86 ]
  

  Though this item is cataloged as a book by the library, it is a very useful handbook of innumerable mythological characters in Hindu mythology. This book serves towards mutual understanding and as an up-to-date guide book for the appreciation of Hindu mythology. At the same time it also helps to make the terms and figures of Indian antiquity more familiar and attractive.

• Johnston, William M. 1998. Rev.Ed. Recent reference books in religion : a guide for students, scholars, researchers, buyers & readers. Chicago, Ill.: Fitzroy Dearborn.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 48 Z999 J65 1998 ]
  

  This guide book addresses anyone who may have browsed reference shelves yet hesitated to consult more than one or two items. The Guide alerts readers to what they can expect in more than 300 reference books concerning the world's religions in general and each of the major traditions and methodologies in particular. Where other bibliographic guides laconically describe, this one scrutinizes with the principal aim to help researchers and students to discern which tools they need and why. (author). The topic of hinduism is covered on various pages under the different types of reference source discussed like p.323,326,...and so on. However, p.308 has a index for the reference books on Hinduism.

• Melton, J. Gordon. 1992. Religious information sources : a worldwide guide. New York : Garland Publications.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 48 Z999 M45 1992 ]
  

  This is a comprehensive guide to the many sources in the broad field of religion. There are numerous sections in the book providing quick and handy reference for the published information sources and the variety of available resource centers specializing in that area. There is an attempt to cover religious studies worldwide, with a distinct North American emphasis. It is designed to assist the broad spectrum of people with questions about religion from the reference librarian to the professor and to the graduate student in religious studies interested in getting a handle upon the resources in the field.

• Hinnels, John R. [ed.]. 1996. A new Handbook of living religions. Oxford : Blackwell publishers. p. 261-309.
  [UALB ULIB REF BL 80.2 H275 1996]
  

  This new handbook, first published in 1984, devotes its chapters to the diaspora of religion, adding coverage of religions from black African religion in America and Britian to religions from South Asia namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Indian Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Parsis, Sikhism etc. and their settlement in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States. It presents the conclusions of some of the latest academic research in a readable manner for the general public as well as for the student of religions. The book has a clear focus, namely living religions in the twentieth century and the importance of religion in history.

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Online Dissertations

With the increasing awareness of the spread of religion and its importance, more research has been done on the subject of Hinduism and its popularity. Though a lot of study and thesis have been written on this topic in India, unfortunately they are not available online. This section presents the work of research scholars as found in the dissertations abstracts available online in the United States and Canada via the Digital Disserations Database link from the Database Finder page of the library.

• Tarakeshwar, Nalini. PhD. 2002. Measures of Hindu religious dimensions: Development and initial evidence of reliability and validity. Bowling Green State University,180 pages [AAT 3066411].
  

  Growing empirical evidence underscores the salience of religion for the mental and physical health of individuals. Much of this research has been conducted among Christians in the United States. Given the growing pluralistic religious representation of the population in the United States, this study attempted to examine the dimensions of one eastern religion, Hinduism, that are potentially relevant to the lives of Hindus, and develop reliable and valid measures of these dimensions. Towards this end, comprehensive reviews of existing research in the psychology of religion and of the Hindu literature were conducted.

• Srinivas, Tulasi. PhD. 2001. 'Divine enterprise': An ethnographic study of popular Hinduism (India). Boston University, 390 pages [AAT 3002613].
  

  This is a study of "popular Hinduism' as it is practiced in the public space of urban Hindu temples in the city of Bangalore in South India. The literature on Hinduism assumes that Hindu priests are the curators of an unchanging tradition, and that they oppose change brought about by forces of modernity.The study demonstrates how tradition and modernity are not oppositional categories for the actors in the temples but are used fluidly as constitutive elements of strategies to redefine Hinduism. (UMI Proquest Digital desserations).

• McClymond, Kathryn T. PhD. 1999. In the matter of sacrifice: A comparative study of Vedic and Jewish sacrifice. University of California, Santa Barbara, 384 pages [AAT 9961510].
  

  At the end of the nineteenth century, Henri Hubert and Marcel Mauss inagurated the comparative study of sacrifice within the newly-developing discipline of religious studies with their research on Vedic and Jewish sacrifice.The dissertation draws primarily from brahmanical and post-brahmanical texts in its investigation of Vedic sacrifice and from biblical and rabbinic texts in its investigation of Jewish sacrifice

• Renold, Leah Madge Young. PhD. 1999. Hindu identity at Banaras Hindu University, 1915--1947. The University of Texas At Austin, 356 pages [AAT 9947366].
  

  Scholarship on the history of modern India has associated Banaras Hindu University, founded in 1915, with the rise of Hindu nationalism. The intentions of the Pandit Malaviya, probably the most well-known promoter of Hinduism, to foster Hindu identity and unity at BHU have been considered as being at odds with the higher purpose of national integration. Banaras Hindu University has been credited not with inspiring secular unity and true nationalism but communalism. However, very little actual research has been conducted on the history of BHU. This project was conceived as an effort to fill an obvious gap in scholarship.

• Dhand, Arti. MA. 1992. Women in Hinduism : Ambiguities in the characterization of Sita in the Valmiki 'Ramayana'. University of Calgary (Canada), 141 pages [AAT MM79132]
  

  This thesis uses a springboard to survey indicating that a significant majority of Hindus consider Sita, the heroine of the Ramayana, as their ideal female role-model. It therefore is an attempt to achieve a clear understanding of what the text relates about Sita. Since there is very little scholarship which has focused on this icon of Hindu femininity, the work addresses itself to observing the characterization of Sita in the earliest extant work treating the subject. The study is based on both synchronic and diachronic literary analyses of the text.

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Books

Presented here is a list of some of the mix and martch of old and as well as of more recent and well-received works on the topic of Hinduism and Hindu's. This list is not meant to be comprehensive, but it should provide a starting point for research as these selected resources will aid in helping promote a better understanding of the concept of Hinduism. The "sacred books" section relates to the books considered as sacred scriptures and are used for the purpose of worship, thereby forming the base of cultural education as well. On the other hand, the books classified under the "general introductory material" are some of the books which are outstanding in their approach towards the concept of introduction of Hinduism and its implications. There are numerous books on the topic and also there are many verisions of the sacred text available in the library , however, these are all translated version , with some of the books having a part of the original text and language as part of the chapters.

Sacred Books:

Though there are many versions of the sacred texts related to Hinduism, namely the Bhagwad-Gita, Upanishads,and the Puranas, here is a selection which provide a very good translation of the ancient scriptures with great introductory notes and descriptions. Most of these texts also include detalied and helpful bibliography of the texts which can be then refered to if more insight is desired by the reader.

• Haas, George,C.O. 1949. The thirteen principal Upanishads. [Translated from the Sanskrit with an outline of the philosophy of the Upanishads and an annotated bibliography by Robert Ernest Hume]. Madras, India : Oxford University Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1120 A3 H8 1949]
  
• Radhakrishnan, S. 1953. The Principal Upanishads. New York : Harper & Row.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1120 A3 R32 1953]
  
• Müller, F. Max. [Translator]. 1964. Vedic hymns. Delhi, India : Motilal Banarsidass.
  [ULAB ULIB BL 1010 S3 1965 V.32 ETC. -V.46]
  
• The Bhagavad Gita. 1962. Baltimore : Penguin Books.
  [UALB ULIB PK 3633 B5 M35 1962]
  
• The Vishnu Purana; a system of Hindu mythology and tradition. 1961. [3rd.ed.]. Calcutta, India : Punthi Pustak.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1135 P8 A6 1961].
  
• Bloomfield, Maurice. [Translator]. 1962. Hymns of the Atharva-Veda, together with extracts from the ritual books and the commentaries. Delhi, India : Motilal Banarsidass.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1010 S3 1962 V.42]
  

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Books-General Introductory Material

Numerous books have been written on the philosophy of Hinduism and its doctrines. Here is a selection of some of the very informative books which serve as a good base for introduction to the life of a Hindu. Some of the books are very old yet politically relevent as they were written by famous Indians like Mahatma Gandhi. At the end of this list are a couple of books devoted to the importance and religious life of the most sacred city of Hindu's-"Benaras", aka Varanasi, also considered as the birth place of Hinduism as a religion.

• Gandhi, Mahatma. 1950. Hindu dharma. Ahmedabad, India : Navajivan Publishing House.
  [UALB ULIB B 131 G27]
  
• Gandhi, Mahatma. 1956. [1st ed.]. The gospel of selfless action; or, The Gita according to Gandhi. Ahmedabad, India : Navajivan Publishing House.
  [UALB ULIB PK 3631 B5 1956]
  
• Mishra, Vikas. 1962. Hinduism and economic growth. Bombay, India : Oxford University Press.
  [UALB ULIB HC 434 M5 1962]
  
• Reed, Elizabeth. 1914. Hinduism in Europe and America. New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons.
  [UALB ULIB BL 2001 R4 1914]
  
• Hinduism : new essays in the history of religions. 1976. Leiden : E. J. Brill.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1210 H49 1976]
  
• Biardeau, Madeleine. 1989. Hinduism, the anthropology of a civilization. Delhi, India : Oxford University Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1202 B51313 1989]
  
• Stutley, Margeret. 1985. Hinduism : the eternal law : an introduction to the literature, cosmology and cults of the Hindu religion. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire : Aquarian Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1202 S78X 1985]
  
• Guénon, René 1945. Introduction to the study of the Hindu doctrines. London : Luzac & co.
  [UALB ULIB B 130 G82]
  
• Lyall, Alfred Comyn. 1891. Natural religion in India. Cambridge : University Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1035 L93]
  
• Sen, Kshitimohan. 1962. Hinduism. Baltimore : Penguin Books.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1210 S4 1962]
  
• Chaudhuri, Nirad C. 1979. Hinduism, a religion to live by. New York : Oxford University Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1202 C477 1979]
  
• Chapple, Christopher. 1986. Karma and creativity. Albany, N.Y. : State University of New York Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 2015 K3 C46 1986]
  
• Mahadevan, Telliyavaram Mahadevan Ponnambalam. 1960. [2nd ed.]. Outlines of Hinduism. Bombay, India : Chetana.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1202 M25X 1960]
  
• Herman, A. L . 1991. A brief introduction to Hinduism : religion, philosophy, and ways of liberation. Boulder, Colo. : Westview Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1212.72 H47 1991]
  
• Dalmia, Vasudha. 1996. The nationalization of Hindu traditions : Bharatendu Harischandra and nineteenth-century Banaras. Delhi, India : Oxford University Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1202 D35X 1996]
  
• Havell, Ernest Binfield. 1905. [2nd ed.]. Benares, the sacred city: sketches of Hindu life and religion. London : Thacker.
  [UALB ULIB STORAGE CCBE DS 486 B4 H2 1905]
  
• Justice, Christopher. 1997. Dying the good death : the pilgrimage to die in India's Holy City. Albany : State University of New York Press.
  [UALB ULIB BL 1214.72 J87 1997]

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Multimedia Sources

Media resources, including videos, sound recordings etc. can help to create a more well-rounded view of a subject. These types of resources can be especially important when researching a culturaly centered topic, such as Hinduism. The selection here presents not only the philosophical side of the religion, but also the popular, both positive and negative face, of the impact of religion on the day to day life of an Indian. The last two selections are movies, though not directly related to Hinduism as a religious philosophy, have somewhere in the story imbibed the impact of religion as a whole on the life of its main characters.

• Bhagavad-gita : the song of God. 1977. Sound recording
  [UALB ULIB IMC Phono Q INDIA BG O65]
  

  This muscial rendition of the holy text by K.J. Jesudass,one of the famous singers in India, and composed by Rangaswami Parthasarathy is of 33 minutes duration and is in original Sanskrit with English translation. It comprises of the Chapter 2 of the Bhagwad Gita sung to musical accompaniment.

• Hinduism and Buddhism [videorecording]. 1996. Princeton, NJ : Films for the Humanities and Sciences,c1996.
  [UALB ULIB IMC VidCas BQ 4610 H6 H45V 1996 ]
  

  This "A Bill Moyers Special" videocassette release of a television programproduced and directed by Pamela Mason Wagner and originally broadcast on PBS in 1996, explores two religions that originated in Inda, namely Hinduism and Buddhism.

• Faces of Culture[videorecording]. 1994. Revised Ed., Fountain Valley,Calif. : Coast Community Colleges, c1983.
  [UALB ULIB IMC VidCas GN 307.82 F33X 1994]
  

  This video film provides and introduction to cultural anthropolgy and discusses the nature ,origins, and diversity of cultures worldwide. The relationships between religion, personality, art, language and culture are explored. Hinduism is also covered as part of the world culture.

• Salaam Bombay! [videorecording]. 1991?. United Kingdom : Connoisseur Video.
  [UALB ULIB IMC VidCas PK 2098.4 A73X S25 1988A VHS.v.0]
  

  Abandoned by the travelling fair for which he works, 11 year old Krishna takes the wrong bus back to his home village and finds himself in Bombay. The spirit of Bomaby's street children to survive is celebrated with, humor, dignity and courage.This movie is a good insight into the Indian culture and also gives a practical idea of how religion is practiced by the common man in India.

• Bandit Queen [videorecording]. 2000. Santa Monica, Calif. : Artisan Entertainment.
  [UALB ULIB IMC DVD HV 6248 P535 B36V 1994A ]
  

  This video is dramatization of the life story of the female dacoit, Phoolan Devi. "Born of low caste in the Chambal River Valley of India, in 1968 the 11 year-old Phoolan is sold into marriage with a man 20 years her senior. She escapes and falls in with a pack of ruthless bandits but the male-dominated gang comes with its own set of brutal humiliations, and Phoolan must struggle to rise above a culture determined to bring her down, in a bloody coup that electrified a nation"--Container. Though this sounds like a life story, however, it is also an insight to how religion and culture binds life in rural India.

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Online Resources

Online resources are primarily lists of websites related to peoples and/or organizations with some detailed specific information about them, such as facts and contact information. There are a multitudes of sites on the web devoted to Hinduism. Presented in this section are some of the best web sources for information about the topic. They are not meant to be comprehensive, however, they provide links to many other related sites.

• Anchan, Ashok. 2003. History of India. Retrieved Sept. 30th, 2003 from
  http://www.historyofindia.com/
  

  This is a very interesting website as it is devoted to exploring the history of India, which I think is very necessary to understand before trying to understand Hinduism, the main religion of India. Ashok Anchan, who has tried his very best to relate to the ancient civilization, epics, stories, religion, kingdoms, etc, authors the site. The contents are fact based and the design of the page is very simple and easy to navigate.

• Saraswati, P.S. 1999-2001. The Encyclopedia of Authentic Hinduism. Retrieved October 7th, 2003 from http://www.encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/
  

  H.D. Swami Prakashanand Saraswati maintains this intriguing site on the true history and religion of India. The site is very informational as well as very educational about the different aspects of the religion from the point of view of the reverend Swami.

• Das, Jahnava N. 2002. Hinduism. Retrieved on October 7th, 2003 from the http://www.indiadivine.org/
  

  This site is devoted to the Hinduism culture, religion, Gods and beliefs. The practitioners who have dedicated their lives to these ancient mystical sciences, as proclaimed, provide the information on this site.

• SaralSoft. 1998. Mahabharata. Retrieved on 8th Oct., 2003 from http://saralsof.best.vwh.net/mm_religion.htm
  

  This is a commercial website, however a very important one for the pathfinder, because it not only provides links to some historical information, it also provides a list of available resources for language learning, mythological scriptures in electronic forms for audience of all ages and groups in all Indian languages as well as in English.

• Himalayan Academy. 2003. Hinduism Today Magazine. Retrieved 8th, Oct. 2003 from http://www.hinduism-today.com
  

  Hinduism Today is a quarterly news magazine articulating Indian spirituality for 1,35,000 readers around the world. The contents are very interesting and intended to inspire Hindus worldwide and people interested in Hinduism.

• Hindu Net Inc. 1994. Hindu Books Universe. Retrieved on 7thOct. 2003 from http://www.hindubooks.org/dynamic/
  

  This site on books in actuality is very diverse and broad in its function. It is not only dedicated to online as well print book resources, it also provides links to scriptures, customs, philosophies, mythologies, and even temples online. It also links to biographies of great Indians and online culture courses. The contents covered are very authentic in nature, though to maintain its running cost , the site also has a commercial side to it, which is not much of a bother unless someone is interested in making purchases.

• Hindu Link. 2000. Retrieved Oct. 10th, 2003 from http://www.hindulink.org/
  

  Founded originally in 1994, this organization's main motive was to provide a means of information and communication for the Hindus in UK, to provide promote understanding in the community etc. However, with the passage of time it soon became the voice of Hindus world over, also serving as a means to provide a platform to the growing voices of Hindus outside India. The newsletters by the site are very informative.

• Londhe, Sushma. 2001. A tribute to Hinduism. Retrieved on Oct. 13th, 2003 from http://www.atributetohinduism.com/index.htm
  

  This site by Ms. Londhe is an effort on her part to provide appropriate information about Hinduism, as well as to attain correct appraisal of India's rich cultural heritage. It is a constantly updated non- commercial web space established to inspire Hindus Worldwide and to give pleasure regarding Hindu heritage.

• Birodkar, Sudhir. 2003. Hindutva Series: Hindu History- Life and lifestyles in Ancient India. Retrieved on Oct 5th, 2003 from http://www.hindutva.org/life.html
  

  This site has been selected by Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the best on the Internet when reviewed for quality, accuracy, content, presentation and usability. The site brings forth material from 11 books written by the author and presented as a chapter, with more than 400 graphics.

• Faith Online Inc. 2003. Hindu Gateway: Sites to See. Retrieved Oct 10th, 2003 from http://www.hindugateway.com/sites/
  

  The website appropriately named as the Hindu Gateway is infact a gateway to growing library of essays, sacred texts, and audio and video excerpts to understand the history, rituals, and traditions of Hinduism. This site is rich content-wise thereby proving to be a resource center of links to other related web spaces.

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