From the Publisher The work deals with various aspects of the bull as reflected in Indian art and literature up to the sixth century AD. Perhaps the first effort to showcase the representation of the bull in ancient India, it examines the bull's domestication and migration, the Indian type of bulls, and the philosophical tenets associated with it and studies the importance attached to the bull's physical form and its psychological characteristics, its relation to the fertility cult and its relation to the fertility cult and its relation to the fertility cult and its usefulness as a domesticated animal as reflected in ancient Indian art. It looks into the manner in which its significance was reinforced through art and the animal protected by associating it with religion - Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina and folk. Dr. Bhogendra Jha goes in-depth into the mode of revering the bull in stone, clay, metal and colours through modeling, moulding and painting: its depiction in coins, seals and sealings, and terracottas, with reference to different historical and dynastic periods. He includes depiction of the bull in prehistoric art and its description in writings, and also compares the position of the bull in ancient world cultures - of Egypt, Crete and Mesopotamia, for instance - with its position in ancient India to broaden the scope of the study. The book will be useful for researchers - beginners and established scholars - of early Indian art. Author Description Bhogendra Jha, Ph.D., an expert in India sculpture, iconography and museology, has contributed research papers to leading journals on Indian art. He is the co-author of Gupta Sculptures and Gandhara Sculptures. He is associated with the Bharat Kala Bhavan of the Banaras Hindu University as a senior curator at present. Contents   Forward by Dr. T. K. Biswas v Preface ix Acknowledgements xvii Abbreviations xix Introduction 1 1. Bull in Prehistoric and Proto-historic India 8 Bull in Prehistoric Art 8 Bull in Proto-historic Art 11 2. Bull in the Early Indian Literature 35 3. Bull in the Early Indian Numismatic and Glyptic Art 60 4. Bull in the Early Indian Terracotta 73 Mauryan Terracotta 76 Sunga Terracotta 79 Krusana Terracottas 83 Gupta Terracottas 86 5. Bull in Early Indian Stone Sculpture 94 Bull in Mauryan Sculptures 94 Bull in Sunga Sculptures 102 Bull in Kusana Sculptures 110 Bull in Gupta Sculptures 117 Conclusion 128 List of Illustrations 143 Coloured Visuals 149 Black & White Photographs 161 Bibliography 177 Index 189

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