The politics and poetry of Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa: How an ancient epic shapes Indian culture and enforces inequality in modern India
Vālmīki’s epic poem “The Rāmāyaṇa” is a great work of literature and a treasure of Indian culture — but its political and ...
Sacred strokes of color on foreheads are a major display of Hinduism at India’s Maha Kumbh festival
A vermilion dot on the forehead is one of India’s most widely accepted Hindu cultural insignias. But at the festival, where millions are flocking to pray and bathe at the confluence of India’s holy ...