Nepal Mandala Cultural Study of Kathmandu Valley. Vol. II Plates

The author's narrative, 600 plates, 29 figures, and 9 detailed color maps grew out of more than a decade of research. She studied and photographed the sculptures and shrines, mapped the old cities and traced their long-fallen walls, attended festivals, and collected legends and folklore. Because of religious conservatism she could not excavate, but thanks to centuries of isolation that ended only in 1951, "surface archaeology" proved a very rewarding substitute. Mary Shepherd Slusser holds a doctorate in anthropology and archaeology from Columbia University. === Nepal Mandala is the defining work on the Kathmandu Valley. The temples, culture, festivals, iconography, people, history, is covered in detail with such depth and in a manner that flows so well that you may forget that you are not reading a novel. One section, for example, describes the "Machendranath Festival" of the Lord Machendranath. The text goes back several decades to a time when he was a small stone worshiped beneath a tree by local villagers, and over the decades and centuries evolved to become Lord of the World, and one of the most important deities in the Kathmandu Valley. Over several pages, Mary Slausser details the forces that brought about this evolution. Just fascinating. Whether you have a particular interest in Nepal or not, this is a wonderful book describing a people and country with a long and influential history. (Richard Josephson, Amazon.com)