In this groundbreaking study, Michael Willis examines how the gods of early Hinduism came to be established in temples, how their cults were organized, and how the ruling elite supported their worship. Examining the emergence of these key historical developments in the fourth and fifth centuries, Willis combines Sanskrit textual evidence with archaeological data from inscriptions, sculptures, temples, and sacred sites. The centre-piece of this study is Udayagiri in central India, the only surviving imperial site of the Gupta dynasty. Through a judicious use of landscape archaeology and archaeo-astronomy, Willis reconstructs how Udayagiri was connected to the Festival of the Rainy Season and the Royal Consecration. Under Gupta patronage, these rituals were integrated into the cult of Vishnu, a deity regarded as the source of creation and of cosmic time. As special devotees of Vishnu, the Gupta kings used Udayagiri to advertise their unique devotional relationship with him. Through his meticulous study of the site, its sculptures and its inscriptions, Willis shows how the Guptas presented themselves as universal sovereigns and how they advanced new systems of religious patronage that shaped the world of medieval India.

The Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya in eastern India has long been recognised as the place where the Buddha sat in meditation and attained enlightenment. The site, soon identified as the 'Diamond Throne' or vajrasana, became a destination for pilgrims and a focus of religious attention for more than two thousand years. This volume presents new research on Bodhgaya and assesses the important archaeological, artistic and literary evidence that bears witness to the Buddha's enlightenment and to the enduring significance of Bodhgaya in the history of Buddhism. The book brings together a team of international scholars to look at the history and perception of the site across the Buddhist world and its position in the networks of patronage and complex religious landscape of northern India. The volume assesses the site's decline in the thirteenth century, as well as its subsequent revival as a result of archaeological excavations in the nineteenth century. Using the British Museum's collections as a base, the authors discuss the rich material culture excavated from the site that highlights Bodhgaya's importance in the field of Buddhist studies.

In this groundbreaking study, Michael Willis examines how the gods of early Hinduism came to be established in temples, how their cults were organized, and how the ruling elite supported their worship. Examining the emergence of these key historical developments in the fourth and fifth centuries, Willis combines Sanskrit textual evidence with archaeological data from inscriptions, sculptures, temples, and sacred sites. The centre-piece of this study is Udayagiri in central India, the only surviving imperial site of the Gupta dynasty. Through a judicious use of landscape archaeology and archaeo-astronomy, Willis reconstructs how Udayagiri was connected to the Festival of the Rainy Season and the Royal Consecration. Under Gupta patronage, these rituals were integrated into the cult of Vishnu, a deity regarded as the source of creation and of cosmic time. As special devotees of Vishnu, the Gupta kings used Udayagiri to advertise their unique devotional relationship with him. Through his meticulous study of the site, its sculptures and its inscriptions, Willis shows how the Guptas presented themselves as universal sovereigns and how they advanced new systems of religious patronage that shaped the world of medieval India.

Please note this title is suitable for any student studying: Exam Board: AQA Level/Subject: AS and A Level History First teaching: 2015 First exams: June 2017 Retaining well-loved features from the previous editions, Wars and Welfare has been approved by AQA and matched to the new 2015 specification. This textbook explores in depth a transformative period of British history, during which democratically elected government faced a series of challenges, and British society underwent fundamental change. It focuses on key ideas such as reform, patriotism and pacifism, and covers events and developments with precision.Students can further develop vital skills such as historical interpretations and source analyses via specially selected sources and extracts. Practice questions and study tips provide additional support to help familiarize students with the new exam style questions, and help them achieve their best in the exam.

In 1587, Abu al-Faz l ibn Mubarak - a favourite at the Mughal court and author of the Akbarnamah - completed his Preface to the Persian translation of the Mahabharata. This book is the first detailed study of Abu al-Faz l's Preface. It offers insights into manuscript practices at the Mughal court, the role a Persian version of the Mahabharata was meant to play, and the religious interactions that characterised 16th-century India.

This book re-evaluates the diffusion and positioning of fashion and luxury brands following the impact and disruption of digital transformations, particularly on existing omni-channel models and touchpoints and consumer behaviours. By exploring the importance of digital transformation and discussing the benefits and challenges it has created for the fashion industry, this book provides insights into the role of various digital technologies, systems and strategies in generating and maintaining brand value and equity, customer engagement and experiences and connecting the marketplace and marketspace. 

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Remarks On The Late Union Between The Church Of Scotland And Associate Synod: In Opposition To Certain Statements Of The Dean Of Faculty J. Hope, In A Letter To The Lord Chancellor]. With The Documents Michael Willis, John Hope

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This book charts the progress of the United Kingdom towards a modern democracy and looks at the changing role of the state from 1830 to 1945. It examines the electoral reform acts introduced between 1832 and 1918; the changing balance of power between monarchy, government, the House of Lords and the civil service; the development of the state from a laissez-faire to an interventionist one; the growth of corporatism; and welfare provision. The author considers the key ideas and thinking behind these developments and offers different perspectives on events. He also highlights the main debates between historians about the politics of the period. Democracy and the State contains a selection of primary sources, including a document case study and questions at the end of each chapter.

Online brand communities (OBCs) are hugely important in the development of marketing strategy, but it is unclear how marketers can effectively utilise these platforms to enhance and develop consumer engagement. For an online brand community to be successful, it should allow members to feel a connection to the brand and with other members while forming a disconnection from those not belonging to the community. It should also have rituals and traditions that join members together over a revered commonality, and moral responsibility in contributing to the community. Indeed, brands play active roles in securing degrees of activity in OBCs’ through content that offers members the quality of engagement they seek. This book focuses on contemporary digital marketing issues in OBCs, offering a comprehensive examination of consumers’ response to active engagement in such communities. It discusses how brands can tap into the various levels of participation, engagement and online conversations in the development of marketing strategy and ultimately examines how an online brand community strengthens value co-creation.   Balancing theory with practical approaches, this book gives serious treatment to an important yet until now overlooked area of digital marketing strategy, providing an important resource for scholars, students and practitioners.

Online brand communities (OBCs) are hugely important in the development of marketing strategy, but it is unclear how marketers can effectively utilise these platforms to enhance and develop consumer engagement. For an online brand community to be successful, it should allow members to feel a connection to the brand and with other members while forming a disconnection from those not belonging to the community. It should also have rituals and traditions that join members together over a revered commonality, and moral responsibility in contributing to the community. Indeed, brands play active roles in securing degrees of activity in OBCs' through content that offers members the quality of engagement they seek. This book focuses on contemporary digital marketing issues in OBCs, offering a comprehensive examination of consumers' response to active engagement in such communities. It discusses how brands can tap into the various levels of participation, engagement and online conversations in the development of marketing strategy and ultimately examines how an online brand community strengthens value co-creation. Balancing theory with practical approaches, this book gives serious treatment to an important yet until now overlooked area of digital marketing strategy, providing an important resource for scholars, students and practitioners.

Among world religions, only Buddhism and Christianity attach a central significance to the role of relics. These two traditions, however, are different in both conceptual and material terms. In Buddhism, the most sacred relics are those considered parts of the cremated remains of the Buddha - a hair, a tooth, a small fragment of bone - or the tiny bead-like relics generated by the Buddha before entering nirvana. In contrast, Christianity venerates objects associated with Christ such as the thorns, the cross or his robe. This first generation of relics were later joined by both the bodily relics and items used by the saints. The papers in this volume, the culmination of a research project focussing on relic worship and Buddhism, cover a rich variety of themes. Subjects include a discussion of what constitutes a relic according to primary and secondary sources, as well as an analysis of the special terminology related to relic worship. Other chapters focus on the placement and treatment of relics in situ, in addition to the wider archaeological contexts for relics, relic chambers and reliquaries. New perspectives are also offered on the relics and reliquaries themselves, for example, the golden Bimaran casket from Afghanistan, an exceptional example of metalwork from the 1st century AD. The final chapter explores the spread of Buddhism to Burma and the evidence of the vibrant relic culture that has been found there, including some of the oldest surviving Pali inscriptions in the world, a text on gold leaves deposited in a relic chamber.

In recent years, Algeria has been rocked by social upheaval, protest, and spasmodic violence. Like many countries caught between the tides of fundamentalist religion and secular culture, the very fiber of the nation seems to be fraying.

Michael Willis here charts the meteoric rise of one of the largest and most powerful Islamist movements in the Muslim world. Tracing its origins to the French colonial domination in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Islamism has always played a defining role in both the national struggle against the French and in the newly independent Algerian state.

The primary focus of Willis's book is on Algeria since 1988, when unprecedented social unrest led to political changes that allowed Algeria's Islamists to form political parties and compete in multi- party elections. The largest Islamist party, the Front Islamique du Salut (FIS), after rousing victories in local and national elections in 1990 and 1991, was subsequently crushed by the military regime.

Since then, despite the Rome Accord of January 1995, over 50,000 lives have been lost in an increasingly bloody conflict that threatens to spiral out of control. Banned by the army, the FIS splintered, with various factions arming themselves, leading to the current, ominous state of disarray.

This book for A and AS level history looks at the politics and policies of Gladstone and Disraeli through a wide range of primary sources. These include written sources (reports, letters, parliamentary papers, newspapers extracts, etc.) as well as posters, drawings and cartoons.

This catalogue contains over 2000 inscriptions from the Gwalior region of northern India dating from 300 BC to World War I. Looking at the history and culture of the region, the book also provides information on the dialects of language, religious cults and regional institutions.