CONTENTS:- 1. Introduction. 2. History. 3. Fountain Stone of Chamba. 4. Raj Naun-The Royal Fountain House. 5. Gods. 6. Iconography. 7. Motifs. 8. The Idea of Sati in the Memorial Stones. 9. The Memorials of Royal Clan. 10. Other types of Commemorations. 11. Barselas of Mandi. 12. A Survey of Memorial Stones in other parts of Himachal Pradesh.
DESCRIPTION
The fountain stone slabs of Chamba present a strange and unique chapter in the history of Indian Art. For nowhere else they are found in such large number near the fountain and the springs and nowhere else they are decorated with such motifs as drawn from Early Buddhist as well as from the classical and medieval art of India. Thematically the fountain stone slabs of Chamba may commemorate the dead but geographically they mark the holly site of water. The marking of the site with the fountain stone slab indicate that it is dedicated to a higher presence. The worship of water places was prevalent since the Rig-Vedic time and water was considered a tangible manifestation of the cosmos. The scholars hitherto have referred to the fountain stone slabs in passim only often dwelling on their inscriptional part either as a help to build up a chronology of the Rajas of Chamba or to prove or disprove a particular point in history or the subject of their study. This book attempts to take the less travelled path and endeavors to trace their origin, history, meaning and significance. It is hoped that the scholars and the students of the Indian Art will find this little book very stimulating and at the same time a welcome addition to the existing studies on the subject.
