The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c7.1

c7.1

In abler hands, the present study could have resulted in a mystery story. On the other hand, one might perhaps expect a full-scale treatment of the symbolism of the severed head. However, neither treatment is attempted here. Rather it is intended to unearth from under the weighty mass of imagery a clue to the tangible realities that seem to underly it.