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India A Sacred Geography Diana L . Eck 2012 ISBN 978-0-38553192-4
Diana Eck is a Harvard scholar , a professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies , it comes as no surprise she ' s somewhat of an expert on one of the world ' s most diverse nations .
Within the pages of India , A Sacred Geography , Eck explores the spiritual journey that is India , through the travels of a religious pilgrim who sees the land as a mass of living deities and gods . It ' s a fascinating exploration of shrines and temples and how each is connected to the worldly land and that beyond what we see .
It ' s a unique perspective that shows India to be a land united not by politicians or lines on a map but rather a connection to something much deeper , a unified belief in creation through religion that extends to the physical landscape and that that surrounds . The reader is drawn in , imagining a landscape that is to be passed through while understanding the beliefs of the local people that binds it all together .
India , A Sacred Geography is not a travel book but a guide to understanding the religious cultures , beliefs that have shaped the history and understanding of the landscapes . In that way it is much more than a travelogue but a way to demonstrate what it means to travel .
Reading India , A Sacred
Geography is like sitting with a
friend , one that is knowledgeable and respected , someone who can discuss differences without it becoming personal . Eck ' s love affair with India is evident and it soon spills over onto the reader . The deeper the reader is drawn into India , A Sacred Geography , the more you ' ll want to delve , Eck has a way that starts like a teacher and soon becomes a friend .
If you ' re planning on a trip to this mystical nation known as India , or want a greater understanding of what shapes it , then Eck ' s India , A Sacred
Geography is the book that should be your starting point ; a deeply informative , thoughtfully written religious history of a nation united by a sacred geography .
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