Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Encyclopedia of World Religions) - Softcover

"Encyclopedia of Hinduism" explores a religion that emerged from prehistory and lives today in astonishing variety. Offering approximately 700 A-to-Z entries, this accessible encyclopedia focuses on the most significant groups within this religion, noteworthy teachers and their contributions, the religions and cultural movements that enriched its history, and the diaspora of Hindu thought and practice around the world. Two major religious traditions that sprang from Hindu influence, Jainism and Sikhism, also have many related entries. Entries include: Ancestor worship, Ayodhya, Ayurveda, Benares, Bhagavad Gita, Brahman, Caste, Christian-Hindu relations, Divali, Durga, Ellora, Funeral rites, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Hindu nationalism, Indus Valley Civilization, Kama Sutra, Meditation, Mirabai, R.K. Narayan, New moon/full moon ceremonies, Om, Puja, Reincarnation/rebirth, Sacred thread, Sadhu, Sikhism, Rabindranath Tagore, Theosophical Society, Untouchability, Vegetarianism, Vishnu, World Parliament of Religions, and more.

Constance A. Jones is currently a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology, has published numerous articles on religious studies, and was a Fulbright scholar in India. She is also the author of The Legacy of G.I. Gurdjieff, as well as editor of Scholarly Perspectives on the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness. James D. Ryan is the codirector of Asian and Comparative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He earned a Ph.D. in Tamil literature at the University of California, Berkeley, and has translated and annotated the medieval epic Civakacintamani by Tiruttakkatevar.