The Buddhist Visnu: Religious Transformations, Politics, and Culture

by John Clifford Holt

Book Overview

John Holt's groundbreaking study examines the assimilation, transformation, and subordination of the Hindu deity Visnu within the contexts of Sri Lankan history and Sinhala Buddhist religious culture. Holt argues that political agendas and social forces, as much as doctrinal concerns, have shaped the shifting patterns of the veneration of Visnu in Sri Lanka.

Holt begins with a comparative look at the assimilation of the Buddha in Hinduism...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231133235
• ISBN13: 9780231133234
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 441 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 8.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher