Historical Dictionary of Hinduism

Before delving into the dictionary's entries, Long (religious studies, Elizabethtown Coll.; A Vision for Hinduism: Beyond Hindu Nationalism) provides a detailed introduction to Hinduism's origins, various periods, culture connections, and other topics. Preliminary material also includes a pronunciation guide, a useful source when attempting to decipher the various vowel sounds and certain nuances concerning consonants contained in the dictionary's approximately 1000 terms; a short list of acronyms and abbreviations used throughout; and a chronology running from 50,000 B.C.E. to the present. Each entry in the main body of the dictionary is a paragraph or two in length, and important terms within the definition are bolded, drawing attention to the concepts associated with the primary definition. This feature is helpful for users seeking to locate quickly a person or concept that is tied to other principles of Hinduism. Occasional black-and-white photos or sketches appear throughout the text. Though not particularly detailed, they provide some visual enhancement to the associated entries. A comprehensive bibliography, divided into primary and secondary sources and then subdivided by format, appears after the entries. BOTTOM LINE This impressive collection of terms and concepts essential to understanding Hinduism will be useful to researchers, students, and those interested in learning more about the many facets of this ancient practice. The dictionary does a great job of comprehensively presenting the facts essential for an introduction to the topic as well as providing enough source material for further study and exploration. * Library Journal * Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religious traditions-though the term itself is of more recent origin-and is generally understood to refer "to the subset of indigenous Indic traditions that observed the sanctity of the Vedas." Presenting these ancient beliefs and practices and their development over millennia, all in a single volume, is a tall order, indeed. Yet the Historical Dictionary of Hinduism succeeds quite well in doing just that. The introductory essay, which precedes the more than 1,000 alphabetically arranged entries, provides a nice historical overview of Hinduism. The entry for Veda, Vedas presents the four basic collections of sacred texts, though separate entries exist for each (e.g., Rg Veda). Hinduism's two great epic poems, the Mahabharata and Ramaya?a, have their own articles, with additional entries for many of the characters mentioned in them. The main sectarian groups within Hinduism are described in the entries for Vai??avism, Saivism, Saktism, and Smarta. Most of the remaining entries discuss important historical figures, rituals, deities, sacred places, and philosophical concepts and systems. Coverage extends to topics drawn from Sikhism and Jainism, two related religious traditions, as well as the issues and groups associated with the Hindu nationalism movement.... The shorter entries of the Historical Dictionary of Hinduism allow specific mention and a brief description of more minor characters, shrines, festivals, and the like. Recommended for theological libraries, research collections, and large public libraries. * Booklist * Hinduism is the oldest major living religion in the world, dating back to India's Iron Age. At present Hinduism has more than 900,000,000 followers worldwide. This new edition by Long (Elizabethtown College) updates Bruce Sullivan's The A to Z of Hinduism (2001) and his The Historical Dictionary of Hinduism (CH, Jan'98, 35-2467). It is a comprehensive dictionary of all aspects of Hinduism, including the religion, culture, customs, festivals, scriptures, and traditions. Short biographies of many religious leaders, saints, and Hindu gods and goddesses are featured. Divided into 26 chapters, it features alphabetically arranged entries ranging from one sentence to one page, along with many see and see also references. The we

Jeffery D. Long teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at Elizabethtown College. He is the author of A Vision for Hinduism: Beyond Hindu Nationalism and Jainism: An Introduction, as well as a variety of articles and essays.