Tag: Fieldwork in NepalPage 1 of 2
H. W. , January 22nd, 2022
Wonderful announcement everyone!! My second manuscript, designed for a popular general audience, finally has a publisher! I can hardly believe it but the book will be coming out…
H. W. , January 3rd, 2022
One of the most complicated aspects of Shaligram interpretation, and the one that often takes the longest to learn, is reading the various small markings that indicate the…
H. W. , August 2nd, 2021
“Shaligram Pilgrimage in the Nepal Himalayas” has gotten a formal book review! LINK:
H. W. , July 6th, 2021
Shaligram Pilgrimage in the Nepal Himalayas has been reviewed in Himal Mag! Check it out! https://www.himalmag.com/in-the-presence-of-the-gods-shaligram-pilgrimage-review-2021/
H. W. , December 1st, 2020
My newest article, called “Cornerstones: Shaligrams as Kin” will be coming out from the Journal of Religion early next year. Here’s a preview: “The courtyard of Dinesh and…
H. W. , October 5th, 2020
Firstly, a sincere thank you to everyone who has helped to make this work possible. It’s been years in the making. But today is the day, and “Shaligram…
H. W. , August 1st, 2020
“Yes, but what is it really?” The man pressed. “A fossil, or God?” Sitting in the domestic airport in Kathmandu, Nepal waiting on the day’s flights into the…
H. W. , May 8th, 2020
My books just went up for library pre-order! I can’t believe I am finally looking at it!! LINK: https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789463721721/shaligram-pilgrimage-in-the-nepal-himalayas
H. W. , April 14th, 2020
So, I got a fake Shaligram. But don’t be indignant on my behalf, it was on purpose. One of the most pervasive fears many Shaligram devotees (or would-be…
H. W. , February 13th, 2020
I don’t think I have ever done the Keshav Shaligram yet for my occasional “Spotlight” series. So, let’s do that one today! Because there is much to say…
H. W. , December 31st, 2019
Tonight, I happily bring in 2020 with a Surya Shaligram! May the New Year bring light, joy, and illumination to the world. फूल खिलेंगे गुलशन में खूबसूरती नज़र…
H. W. , December 6th, 2019
One thing I love about Shaligram interpretive practices is how extensively narrative they are. As in, not only does each specific ammonite fossil invoke stories about the geological…
H. W. , November 18th, 2019
This second part on the birth of Shaligrams is meant to briefly demonstrate the concrete links between the sacred contexts of Shaligram veneration and the actual practices devotees…
H. W. , November 13th, 2019
Witnessing the appearance of a Shaligram stone within the Kali Gandaki river is to, quite literally, witness its birth. Formed in the womb of the mountains (the Himalayas)…
H. W. , July 13th, 2019
Recently, a friend and devotee I’ve been blessed to know for a while now was finally able to make his yatra (pilgrimage) to the Damodar Kund. For those…
H. W. , June 24th, 2019
In honor of Cephalopod Week, I’ve put together a short discussion on the types of ammonites typically found in Shaligrams. So, here we go! The Nepal Himalayas contain…
H. W. , June 10th, 2019
Shaligram shrines are each as unique as the households that look after them. As I move into the planning stage for my second manuscript on Shaligram interpretive traditions,…
H. W. , March 27th, 2019
The book is nearly complete! It’s been a long road but I will be turning in the revised and completed manuscript to my publisher in just a few…
H. W. , November 11th, 2018
Whenever I am paging through endless spreadsheets of museum collection data on fossils I am always on the lookout for a few magic words: Ammonite, Spiti Shales, Nepal…
H. W. , October 12th, 2018
Great news! I’m excited to announce that my book manuscript has been accepted and is now officially under contract with Amsterdam University Press for their “New Mobilities in…
H. W. , September 12th, 2018
While it is listed as Dadhivamana in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, this Shaligram is often described as a variation of the more common Vamana Shaligram of the Dasavatara…
H. W. , August 27th, 2018
Vaikuntha (the Place of Non-Hindrance), Paramapadam, Vishnupada (Vishnu’s feet), or Param Padam (the Supreme Abode) is the celestial home of Vishnu. In most of the Puranas, and in the majority o…
H. W. , August 14th, 2018
Depending on how long the project takes, this will be a fascinating addendum to my upcoming manuscript on Shaligram pilgrimage and mobility in Mustang. http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2018-08-…
H. W. , June 24th, 2018
Yagnamurti Shaligram Yajna (or conversely, Yagna) literally translates as “sacrifice, worship, or…