EUR  â¬145.20EUR  â¬121.00 excl. VAT
Attentive Minds: A History of the Indian Performative Art of AvadhÄna from the Origin to Modern Times
Series: - Brill's Indological Library, Volume: 58
Author:
From tenth-century South India to twenty-first-century cultural events, from the court assemblies to the public space: Attentive Minds takes you on a journey through the fascinating world of avadhÄna, a complex and long-living performative art of India whose practitioners showcase highly developed cognitive skills (like attention, ability to multitask, memory) and specialized knowledge.
With the help of epigraphic and literary sources and field research, Hermina Cielas reconstructs avadhÄnaâs history in its socio-cultural context and provides a detailed systematization of the art. Her multifaceted study investigates the cultural phenomenon scarcely known outside of India. It explores avadhÄnaâs multiple forms, from games and puzzles, through a display of mnemonic or motor skills, to multilingual literary feasts.
With the help of epigraphic and literary sources and field research, Hermina Cielas reconstructs avadhÄnaâs history in its socio-cultural context and provides a detailed systematization of the art. Her multifaceted study investigates the cultural phenomenon scarcely known outside of India. It explores avadhÄnaâs multiple forms, from games and puzzles, through a display of mnemonic or motor skills, to multilingual literary feasts.
Hermina Cielas, Ph.D. (2018), Jagiellonian University in Kraków, is a Researcher in the Department of Languages and Cultures of India and South Asia at that university. She is the author of several articles on Indian culture and literature.
Contents
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
Abbreviations
Introduction
1 Celebration of Cognitive Skills
â1âConcentration and Attentiveness
â2âMemory, Memorization, and Chanting Vedas
â3âRetention
2 Riddles, Skills, and Arts
â1âCreating and Solving Riddles
â2âThe 64 (or More) Arts and Skills
â3âThe Influence of Theatre and NÄá¹yaÅÄstra
3 Performing Literary Composition
â1âThe Underlying Principles of Indian Poetry
â2âThe Four Types of Poetry
â3âMultilingualism
â4âKavigoá¹£á¹hÄ«
4 The Systematization of AvadhÄna
â1âThe General Tenets and Basic Division of AvadhÄna
â2âHidden behind the Numbers
â3âThe Duration of a Performance
â4âMnemonic Forms of AvadhÄna
â5âTechnical AvadhÄnas and Their Tasks
â6âArtistic Forms of AvadhÄna
5 The Languages of AvadhÄna
6 Performing Traditions, Fostering Communities
â1âA (Cultural) Performance
â2âThe Ritualistic and Liminoid Aspects of AvadhÄna
7 Tablets, Stones, and Copperplates
â1âThe Inscription from Vallimalai
â2âThe Nandampundi Grant and NÄrÄyaá¹a
â3âMallikÄrjuna Bhaá¹á¹a and SomeÅvara in the Epigraphs from Belagami and Ablur
â4âDevaÅarmÄ in the Inscription from Halsi
â5âViÅvanÄtha from Belvola in the Inscriptions from Kembalu and Haranahalli
â6âThe AvadhÄnÄ«s of the NÄnÄka praÅastis
8 AvadhÄna in the Literary Sources
â1âVedÄvadhÄnÄ«s
â2âAvadhÄna at the Mughal Courts
â3âFemale Artists at the 17th-Century NÄyaka Court in Tanjore
â4âAvatÄá¹is
â5âThe Others
9 Spatial and Temporal Aspects of AvadhÄna
â1âOn the Origin of AvadhÄna
â2âThe Time and Place of AvadhÄna Performances
10 The Preparation of AvadhÄnÄ«
â1âThe Ideal Kavi and Preparation for Performing SÄhityÄvadhÄna
â2âPreparing to Perform Technical and Non-literary Artistic AvadhÄnas
â3âMemory Training and the Methods of Enhancing Cognitive Skills
11 In the Milieu of AvadhÄnÄ«s
â1âThe AvadhÄnÄ«s and Their Position in Society
â2âWomen in AvadhÄna
â3âThe Role of the Teacher in AvadhÄna
â4âThe Questioners
12 The Challenges of the 20th and 21st Centuries
â1âChanges of Patronage, Critique of the Art, and the Crisis of SÄhityÄvadhÄna
â2âThe Revival, Influence of Technology and Media, and Commercialization of AvadhÄna
â3âOrganizing AvadhÄna
â4âThe Prospects
Appendix 1: Selected Examples of Historical and Contemporary Practitioners of AvadhÄna
Appendix 2: Selected Verses Composed by AvadhÄnÄ«s and Pá¹cchakas
Appendix 3: A Glossary of Terms Connected to AvadhÄna
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part 1: Towards the AvadhÄna
1 Celebration of Cognitive Skills
â1âConcentration and Attentiveness
â2âMemory, Memorization, and Chanting Vedas
â3âRetention
2 Riddles, Skills, and Arts
â1âCreating and Solving Riddles
â2âThe 64 (or More) Arts and Skills
â3âThe Influence of Theatre and NÄá¹yaÅÄstra
3 Performing Literary Composition
â1âThe Underlying Principles of Indian Poetry
â2âThe Four Types of Poetry
â3âMultilingualism
â4âKavigoá¹£á¹hÄ«
Part 2: The Great (Systematized) Improvisation
4 The Systematization of AvadhÄna
â1âThe General Tenets and Basic Division of AvadhÄna
â2âHidden behind the Numbers
â3âThe Duration of a Performance
â4âMnemonic Forms of AvadhÄna
â5âTechnical AvadhÄnas and Their Tasks
â6âArtistic Forms of AvadhÄna
5 The Languages of AvadhÄna
6 Performing Traditions, Fostering Communities
â1âA (Cultural) Performance
â2âThe Ritualistic and Liminoid Aspects of AvadhÄna
Part 3: Voices from the Stones and Scriptures
7 Tablets, Stones, and Copperplates
â1âThe Inscription from Vallimalai
â2âThe Nandampundi Grant and NÄrÄyaá¹a
â3âMallikÄrjuna Bhaá¹á¹a and SomeÅvara in the Epigraphs from Belagami and Ablur
â4âDevaÅarmÄ in the Inscription from Halsi
â5âViÅvanÄtha from Belvola in the Inscriptions from Kembalu and Haranahalli
â6âThe AvadhÄnÄ«s of the NÄnÄka praÅastis
8 AvadhÄna in the Literary Sources
â1âVedÄvadhÄnÄ«s
â2âAvadhÄna at the Mughal Courts
â3âFemale Artists at the 17th-Century NÄyaka Court in Tanjore
â4âAvatÄá¹is
â5âThe Others
9 Spatial and Temporal Aspects of AvadhÄna
â1âOn the Origin of AvadhÄna
â2âThe Time and Place of AvadhÄna Performances
Part 4: Figures on the Stage
10 The Preparation of AvadhÄnÄ«
â1âThe Ideal Kavi and Preparation for Performing SÄhityÄvadhÄna
â2âPreparing to Perform Technical and Non-literary Artistic AvadhÄnas
â3âMemory Training and the Methods of Enhancing Cognitive Skills
11 In the Milieu of AvadhÄnÄ«s
â1âThe AvadhÄnÄ«s and Their Position in Society
â2âWomen in AvadhÄna
â3âThe Role of the Teacher in AvadhÄna
â4âThe Questioners
12 The Challenges of the 20th and 21st Centuries
â1âChanges of Patronage, Critique of the Art, and the Crisis of SÄhityÄvadhÄna
â2âThe Revival, Influence of Technology and Media, and Commercialization of AvadhÄna
â3âOrganizing AvadhÄna
â4âThe Prospects
Appendix 1: Selected Examples of Historical and Contemporary Practitioners of AvadhÄna
Appendix 2: Selected Verses Composed by AvadhÄnÄ«s and Pá¹cchakas
Appendix 3: A Glossary of Terms Connected to AvadhÄna
Bibliography
Of interest for Indologists, researchers in performative arts, languages, literary or social studies, and practitioners of avadhÄna.