The Life of Hinduism brings together a series of essays—many recognized as classics in the field—that present Hinduism as a vibrant, truly ‘lived’ religion. Celebrating the diversity for which Hinduism is known, this volume begins its journey in the ‘new India’ of Bangalore, India’s Silicon Valley, where global connections and local traditions rub shoulders daily. Readers are then offered a glimpse into the multifaceted world of Hindu worship, life-cycle rites, festivals, performances, gurus and castes. The book’s final sections deal with issues of identity that Hindus face in India and around the world: militancy versus tolerance and the struggle between owning one’s own religion and sharing it with others.

Contributors include Stephen Huyler, Diana Eck, Shrivatsa Goswami, Margaret Case, Vasudha Narayanan, Doranne Jacobson, Agehananda Bharati, Om Lata Bahadur, McKim Marriott, Linda Hess, Philip Lutgendorf, Kathleen Erndl, Lisa Lassell Hallstrom, Sudhir Kakar, John Stratton Hawley, Mark Juergensmeyer, Lalitambika Antarjanam, Sitansu Chakravarti, Shrinivas Tilak, Laurie Patton, Chakravarti Ram-Prasad and Kala Acharya.