Throughout India and Southeast Asia, ancient classical epics - the "Mahabharata" and the "Ramayana" - continue to exert considerable cultural influence. This work offers an exploration into South Asia's regional epic traditions. Using his own fieldwork as a starting point, Alf Hiltebeitel analyzes how the oral tradition of the south Indian cult of the goddess Draupadi and five regional martial oral epics compare with one another and tie in with the Sanskrit epics. Drawing on literary theory and cultural studies, he reveals the shared subtexts of the Draupadi cult "Mahabharata" and the five oral epics, and shows how the traditional plots are twisted and classical characters reshaped to reflect local history and religion. In doing so, Hiltebeitel sheds light on the intertwining oral traditions of medieval Rajput military culture, Dalits ("former Untouchables"), and Muslims.
- ISBN10 6612069929
- ISBN13 9786612069925
- Publish Date 1 January 1999
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 2 October 2012
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of Chicago Press
- Format eBook
- Language English