Winged stallions and wicked mares : horses in Indian myth and history / Wendy Doniger ; illustrations curated by Anna Lise Seastrand.

"First published in the US by University of Virginia Press 2021" v.page.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Horses in Indian Nature and Culture -- 1. The Presence of Horses in the Indo-European World and the Absence of Horses in the Indus Valley Civilization, 3000 to 5100 BCE -- 2. Horses in the Vedas, 1500 to 500 BCE -- 3. Horses and Snakes in the Underworld in the Mahabharata and Ramayana, 300 BCE to 300 CE -- 4. Horses in the Ocean in the Sanskrit Puranas, 400 to 1400 CE -- 5. Ashvashastra, the Science of Horses, 200 BCE to 1200 CE -- 6. Buddhist Horses, 500 BCE to 500 CE -- 7. Arabian Horses and Muslim Horsemen, 500 to 1800 CE -- 8. Equestrian Epics and Mythic Mares, 600 to 2000 CE -- 9. Horses of the British Raj, 1700 to 1900 CE -- 10. Horse Myths and Rituals in the Absence of Horses, 1800 to 2000 CE -- 11. Horses in Modern India, 1900 to 2020 CE -- Conclusion: The Gift Horse -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.

"Explores the horse in Indian mythology and history. Despite the fact that horses were imported to India and associated with foreigners and conquerors, Indian villagers created wonderful stories and brilliant visual images of horses. The author relates how Turkish horses, tribal horses, Dalit horses, Hindu stallions, and Arab mares all mix in streams of story that raise issues about the assimilation of foreign cultures in India"--