Bradley R. Hertel is Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cynthia Ann Humes is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Claremont McKenna College.

"The book builds upon previous work about the importance of Banaras; it adds to our empirical understanding of society and culture in India; and it provides one of the best examples I have seen of fieldwork based research where different individual scholars, commenting from various perspectives, achieve a holistic, comprehensive result." — Charles R. Brooks, John Jay College, City University of New York

• IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionBradley R. Hertel and Cynthia Ann Humes1. Crossing the Water: Pilgrimage, Movement, and Environmental Scenography of the Ramlila of RamnagarRichard Schechner2. Staring at Frames Till They Turn into Loops: An Excursion through Some Worlds of TulsidasLinda Hess3. What's Taking Place: Neighborhood Ramlilas in BanarasThomas Parkhill4. Hanuman and the Moral Physique of the Banarsi WrestlerJoseph S. Alter5. Religious Division and the Mythology of the PastMary Searle-Chatterjee6. The Monastic Structure of Banarsi Dandi SadhusDana W. Sawyer7. The Goddess of the Vindhyas in BanarasCynthia Ann Humes8. Lolark Kund: Sun and Shiva Worship in the City of LightRatnesh K. Pathak and Cynthia Ann Humes9. Language Choice, Religion, and Identity in the Banarsi CommunityBeth SimonAppendicesCynthia Ann HumesA. The Thirty-One-Day Program of the Ramnagar RamlilaB. An Encapsulation of the Ramcharitmanas by TulsidasC. Major Characters of the RamayanaD. General GlossaryBibliographyContributorsIndex