Cave of My Ancestors

Kirin Narayan is emerita professor in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. She is the author of several books, including My Family and Other Saints, Everyday Creativity, and Alive in the Writing, all published by the University of Chicago Press.

• A Few People Who Reappear through This BookA Note on TranscriptionJoining Palms at ElloraPart I. Names and Speculations1. The Cave, Code and Cord of Vishwakarma2. The Carpenters’ “Hut”3. Shadows of Makers4. Surpassing Humane ForcePart II. Communing with Ancestors5. As Regards the Cultural Migrations of Artisans6. The Debt to Gods and Ancestors7. The Pride of the Vishwakarma Lineage8. Open Sesame!Part III. The Resident of Ellora9. Via-Via10. Ila the Serpent Maiden11. From Mantras to Tools12. An Injured Finger and Other Tokens of “Proof”Part IV. Forms in Flux13. Vestiges of Worship14. Transformations through Water15. Locating the Goddess16. On the MoveHands inside HandsAcknowledgmentsMapsNotesBibliographyIndex

“In Cave of My Ancestors, Narayan tells a fascinating story about one of the world’s most remarkable archaeological sites. This is an outstanding example of how sound scholarship and superb storytelling can be combined.”