Focusing on the rhetoric of hagiographical works, the book explores how religious communities establish legitimacy through their connections with holy figures. It examines the ways these groups "imagine" their affiliations, utilizing songs and stories to celebrate and honor these holy men. Through this lens, it provides insights into the formation and identity of religious groupings.
Savant Singh (1694-1764), the Rajput prince of Kishangarh-Rupnagar, commissioned beautiful miniature paintings and composed devotional (bhakti) poetry to Krishna under the nom de plume Nagaridas. After his throne was usurped, while Savant Singh was on the road seeking military alliances to regain his kingdom, he composed a pilgrimage account, The Pilgrim's Bliss (Tirthanand); an anthology, Garland of Stories and Songs (Pad-prasang-mala); and a reworking of the story of Rama, Garland of Rama's Romance (Ram-carit-mala). Through an examination of Savant Singh's life and works, Heidi Pauwels explores the circulation of ideas and culture in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries in north India, revealing how Singh mobilized soldiers but also used myths, songs, and stories about saints to cope with his personal and political crises. Mobilizing Krishna's World allows us a peek behind the dreamlike paintings and refined poetry into a world of intrigue Book jacket.