Synopsis This book, the final major contribution of A.L. Basham, is written with his usual clarity. Written with the general reader mind, the book answers many questions which may appear baffling to the uninitiated. Yet the author has never deviated from the rigor of his approach towards the study of Indian religion which combined history, philology and phenomenology…Above all the lucidity of his presentation will endear the book to both the student and the master.