ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an over view of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a selection of Vijayanagara voices and explores some of the archetypes of South Indian culture, the lives of poets and kings, saints and sages, and the images and arts of spiritual creativity. Cultural artefacts and texts of the Vijayanagara empire represent an accessible world, which, through reflection, can reveal things to our own world. The book explores some of the traits of the religious thinkers, poets and heroic figures of Vijayanagara for visions of human existential potentials explored, played out, lost and rediscovered. It conveys some of the depth and creativity of Hindu religious and literary expression during the Vijayanagara empire. The book looks at pool of Hindu resources, texts and life stories, and living customs. It explores how such voices provided a traditional order and renewed a pathway in a world of contingencies, chaos and uncertainty.
