Books on Bhubaneswar

Before it became the capital of Orissa in 1948, Bhubaneswar had been a temple town and an important Hindu cultural and religious center to followers of Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism. The presence of so many different religions in fact gave the city its pluralistic character, one of the factors responsible for its eventual selection as the capital city. Now Bhubaneswar is a vibrant modern city with tree lined promenades, malls and all trappings of urbanism. 

Bhubaneswar: Webster's Timeline History, 650 - 2007 provides a complete lowdown on the city in historical, literary or semantic area.Here the focus is on "Bhubaneswar," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Bhubaneswar in their name. As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Bhubaneswar when it is used in proper noun form.  Bhubaneswar: From a Temple Town to a Capitol City by Ravi Kalia, associate professor of history at The City College of The City University of New York (CUNY), traces the past of the city till it became Orissa's capital. 

Hindu Monastic Life: The Monks and Monasteries of Bhubaneswar is a detailed, descriptive and analytical study of Hindu monastic life as it was lived and as it is being lived, in a traditional Hindu Temple-pilgrimage town. The study concludes with observations about the role that Hindu monasticism will play in contemporary India. A complete bibliography of Hindu monasticism adds to the utility of the study.

Bhubaneswar's cultural past can be best studied from the many inscriptions found around the city. **REPRINT** Inscriptions of Orissa, by Satyanarayan Rajaguru, curator, Orissa State Museum. Bhubaneswar, Orissa Sahitya Akademi, 19 provides a comprehensive insight into the city's heritage. Inscriptions of Orissa also by Satyanarayan Rajaguru is in a paperback form. 


To learn about specific temples dotting the landscape of Bhubaneswar one can start with Muktesvara Temple in Bhubaneswar, where the author traces its formal antecedents, discussing also influences form outside Orissa, concluding with the influence of the Muktesvara itself upon subsequent developments in Orissa. He also puts forth the most complete and exhaustive description of the temple offering an interpretation of its sculptures. For Lingaraj Temple one may try Hindu Temples in Bhubaneswar: Lingaraj Temple, Parsurameswar Temple, Brahmeswara, Mukteswar Temple, Ananta Vasudeva Temple, Mukteswara Temple.


Bhubaneswar with its treasure of architectural wonders is a photographer's delight. One can choose from Hindu Sculpture, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India Photographic Poster Print by Keren Su, 30x40, Empty Courtyard with Monument in Bhubaneswar, India Photographic Poster Print, 18x24, Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar, Orissa State, India Photographic Poster Print by Adam Woolfitt, 24x32, Round Stone Torana Gate, Mukteswara Temple, Bhubaneswar, Orissa State, India Stretched Canvas Poster Print by Adam Woolfitt, 30x40


 From tourism perspective the Global Treasures BHUBANESWAR - India comes in really handy with its 11 minutes coverage of popular destinations.


Those interested in the socio-economic areas will find THE SLUM DWELLERS IN BHUBANESWAR, INDIA: FROM A SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS PERSPECTIVE interesting. 


Among the recent popular books Subroto Bagchi's Go Kiss the World: Life Lessons for the Young Professional has many pages devoted to the author's life in Bhubaneswar. 


Still want more of Bhubaneswar? Try these mousepads, to keep the city close to you always: India, Bhubaneswar Mouse PadIndia - "BHUBANESWAR" Set of 4 Mini-Mousepad Coasters.

Books of Power

Men in power have always thought it wise to share their ideas and thoughts for the posterity. Their books help the public in making sense of their policies, clearing away controversies and so on. We have Indian leader Nehru charting the course of Indian History in his The Discovery of India, or showing us the Glimpses of World History.



From Pakistan Benazir Bhutto's autobiography Daughter of Destiny: An Autobiography provides a very important guidepost to Pakistan's complicated politics, while a defferent perspective comes from Musharaf's In the Line of Fire: A Memoir.


But the sampling of such books from the Indian sub-continent will not be complete if we do not include Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth, the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi, that has been a huge success with the readers since its publication.



Let's move to the wider political platform, the USA and Europe. The recent political memoir to hit the stands is Decision Points by George Bush, which covers the highpoints of presidential decision-making in the turbulent years of Bush the Junior's presidency.  Bush also candidly discusses the harder decision he had to take regarding his drinking habits.

Before Bus,h Bill Clinton also made it big with his exhaustive, soul-searching memoir My Life. It provides a refreshingly candid look at the former president as a son, brother, teacher, father, husband, and public figure. Hillary Clinton's Living History has enough inside scoop to appeal to those looking for a bit of gossip, but there are no bombshells here.

Former English Premier Tony Blair engages his readers with his autobiography A Journey: My Political Life, which came out in September 2010. The book delves on subjects like Blair's New Labor platform, The Iraq war, late Lady Diana, his successor Gordon Brown and so on. The Iraq War him is similar "battle between modernizers and reactionaries," according to Blair's high-minded justification, a battle which would have gone well but for the meddling of Al Qaeda and Iran.


 Before leaving these power writers let us look at the ancient times both in the east and the west. From the east the great Chanakya's name comes to mind. Maxims of Chanakya, known as Chanakya niti provide the earliest guidelines of statecraft, which have stood the test of time till today.  And from the west Machiavelli's The Art of War & the Prince comes easily to mind. It was Niccolò Machiavelli who essentially removed ethics from government. He did it with The Prince, when he asserted that The Prince (president, dictator, prime minister, etc.) does not have to be concerned with ethics, as long as their motivation is to protect the state. 

Hits and Misses

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