25 years in the making,Hinduism encyclopedia is now complete

Brightly coloured images of Hinduism’s deities fill entire pages,with foot-noted explanations of the forms and powers God can take in the religion.

“The goal was to have something pretty definitive — not just about Hinduism,but about the whole South Asian tradition,” said University of South Carolina professor Hal French,who met a small group of scholars in 1987 to offer academic support for the project.

“This hadn’t really been attempted before,” said French,83,a distinguished professor emeritus of religious studies at the school and an associate editor. “It is a milestone of research that brought together both Eastern and Western scholarship.”

French,who specializes in the religions of Asia and served as an associate editor of the encyclopedia,said a primary inspiration is one of India’s most revered spiritual leaders,Swami Chidanand Saraswati,who is coming to the University of South Carolina conference that will celebrate the work’s launch.

Swami Chidanand founded the India Heritage Research Foundation,which became the parent organization behind the encyclopedia effort. He is president of Parmarth Niketan Ashram spiritual retreat in Rishikesh.

The encyclopedia’s volumes run from 600 to more than 700 pages. Some 3,000 copies are being issued in the first printing and will be of interest to libraries,religious institutions,and those studying Indian culture around the world,French said.

Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion,with 1 billion followers,according to a Pew Research Centre study published this year. Christians number 2.2 billion and Muslims 1.6 billion,the study showed.

Many Hindus who settled around the world have found that they need a comprehensive source of information on the religion for their children,said Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati,managing editor of the encyclopedia and a secretary of the India Heritage Research Foundation. She explained that the encyclopedia project took more than 20 years because “it began in pre-computer days”. “If we started today,it might just have taken a few years,” said Sadhvi.

All proceeds from the encyclopedia are going to a charitable organization dedicated to environmental cleanup of rivers in India,she said.