This beautiful collection brings together passages from the renowned stories, poems, dramas, and myths of South Asian literature, including the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa. Drawing on the translations published by the Clay Sanskrit Library, the passages feature episodes from the adventures of young Krishna, the life of Prince Rama and Hindu foundational myths, the life of the Buddha, as well as Buddhist and Jaina birth stories.

Pairing key excerpts from these wonderful Sanskrit texts with exquisite illustrations from the Bodleian Library’s rich manuscript collections, the book includes images of birch-bark and palm-leaf manuscripts, vibrant Mughal miniatures, early printed books, sculptures, watercolour paintings and even early photograph albums.

Each extract is presented in both English translation and Sanskrit in Devanagari script and accompanied by a commentary on the literature and related books and artworks. The collection is organised by geographical region and includes sections on the Himalayas, North India, Central and South India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, Central and East Asia, and the Middle East and Europe.

This is the perfect introduction for anyone interested in Sanskrit literature and the manuscript art of South Asia – and beyond.

Camillo A. Formigatti is John Clay Sanskrit Librarian at the Bodleian Libraries.

• Hardback
• 240 pages, 285 x 244 mm
• 120 colour illustrations
• ISBN: 9781851245314
• Publication November 2019