Right from the time of the Indus Civilization we begin to see traces of the monsoon becoming an important facet of Indian religious rituals. The Himalaya, as a physical barrier, which separates the monsoonal weather system of South Asia from the dry weather systems of Afghanistan and Persia, inadvertently formed a cultural barrier with the influence of the monsoon at one end and winter hibernation at the other. The Vedic people who came from a hibernation culture from the Perso-Afghanistan region were quick to adapt their literature and way of life to include the knowledge, rituals, and mythology surrounding the monsoon that was prevalent in the subcontinent.
 
The author examines and brings to light aspects of ancient Indian art and literature to re-evaluate the depth of the monsoon’s influence on the subcontinent. This book is a unique contribution to the field of Indian art history, with new information and new ways of looking at Indian culture. It is extensively illustrated to ensure that the true visual imagery of the author’s textual imagination reaches the reader.
 
Gautama V. Vajracharya, Emeritus, University of Wisconsin, Madison is a Sanskritist with a deep interest in South Asian art and culture. He is a Tagore National Fellow, researching the Nepali objects at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai and a visiting curator, Rubin Museum of Art, New York for the exhibition of Nepali art in 2015.