- 222 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About This Book
A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. The Emergence of Modern Hinduism argues for the importance of regional, vernacular innovation in processes of Hindu modernization. Scholars usually trace the emergence of modern Hinduism to cosmopolitan reform movements, producing accounts that overemphasize the centrality of elite religion and the influence of Western ideas and models. In this study, the author considers religious change on the margins of colonialism by looking at an important local figure, the Tamil Shaiva poet and mystic Ramalinga Swami (1823–1874). Weiss narrates a history of Hindu modernization that demonstrates the transformative role of Hindu ideas, models, and institutions, making this text essential for scholarly audiences of South Asian history, religious studies, Hindu studies, and South Asian studies.  
Frequently asked questions
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Subvention
- Title
- Imprint
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- Note on Diacritics and Italics
- 1. Introduction: Rethinking Religious Change in Nineteenth-Century South Asia
- 2. Giving to the Poor: Ramalinga’s Transformation of Hindu Charity
- 3. The Publication of Tiruvaruṭpā: The Authority of Canon and Print
- 4. Ramalinga’s Devotional Poems: Creating a Hagiography
- 5. The Polemics of Conflicting Modernities
- 6. The Modernity of Yoga Powers in Colonial India
- 7. Conclusion
- Glossary
- Notes
- Bibliography