The Hindu Pantheon: The Court of all Hindu Gods

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Moor's Hindu Pantheon is one of the earliest and probably the most respected works in Hindu Mythology. The original 1861 edition, though masterpiece of scholarly writing on this difficult subject especially for a European, was burdened by its enormous size. We are happy to present here the second edition which was edited and annotated by W. 0. Sims on in 1864.

This edition has been composed and set again as the original, if at all available, is to be found in a state of dilapidation. The original drawings have also been reconstructed and have been placed together for the reason of convenience of the reader, the style which was adopted in the original edition of Edward Moor. For reason of authenticity the language and its style have not been interfered with.

The publishers hope that the new edition of this great work gives as much reading pleasure as it provided when it appeared for the first time in 1861 under the title---"SRI SARVA DEVA SABHA- THE COURT OF ALL HOLY GODS".

Hindu Mythology occupies much of the time and attention of students of Indian Literature of the present day; and although oriental research has in later years contributed much to unravel the difficulties which perplexed early writers and to correct the theories and errors into which they had unavoidably fallen, yet still no attempt has been hitherto made to collate the valuable information at present scattered in reviews, pamphlets, reports, &c., and to present it to the public in a connected and convenient form, nor have the standard works of earlier times undergone that thorough revision which has been so long a desideratum. Coleman, Maurice and Crawford, with some other authors of less note, are out of print, and even Moor is scarcely to be met with any where in its original form, Messrs. Williams and Norgate of London having deemed it sufficient to re-print, in 1861, the plates only contained in the Work, illustrating the principal Deities with their Saktis, Incarnations, &c. Under these circumstances. I determined on the re-issue of Moor's HINDU PANTHEON, after careful revision, in a style which would not only sustain its former character, but greatly enhance its value. This edition, though less bulky and more portable than the previous one, retains every essential particular of the original untouched, but proved inaccuracies, repetitions and irrelevant matter have been omitted, and the text has been elucidated by a large number of foot notes embodying references to acknowledged native authorities and the works of eminent oriental scholars. The Chapters on Buddhism and the Sects of the Hindus have been re-written, and embrace the most recent and correct information on the subjects of which they treat. None of the plates by which the text could receive any elucidation have been omitted, while several others have been added from other sources. These emendations are more ii particularly alluded to in the Editor's Preface and need not be further noticed here. The Index, always a valuable auxiliary to books of reference, has been entirely re-written and considerably enlarged, so that any portion of the book way be easily and readily referred to. Great care has been bestowed in printing the work, and the plates have been executed in a superior style of lithography: in fact no pains have been spared to give the book an attractive appearance, as well as to make it extensively useful. I feel confident therefore that it has some claim to notice as an extended and improved work on HINDU MyruoLoGy.

**Contents and Sample Pages**