Summary: Containing nearly a sixth of the world's population, India is home to almost a billion people, more than half of whom live in rural villages. This program provides an overview of topics such as the caste system as it exists in the holy Hindu town of Varanasi and the massive pilgrimages to Allahabad, where millions of Hindus come to ritually bathe at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Prehistoric art often renders animals in spiritual, even divine, form-but primitive beast images can also reflect a degree of humanity. This program sifts through the complexity of the animal-god concept, identifying the place of the lion, the giraffe, the wolf, the elephant, and many other creatures in a wide range of myths and religions. With detailed observations of sculpture, carvings, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Earth's surface gave shape to the early cosmologies of almost every culture. This program explores that universal phenomenon, traveling across the globe to examine the role of geology in religion and myth. From the revered Uluru/Ayers Rock in Australia to Crete's Diktaeon cave-according to tradition, the birthplace of Zeus-the video explains the spiritual significance of numerous sites...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Religion in Bali is marked by rituals of high artistry aimed at harmonizing the forces of darkness and light, as this program shows. Ancestor worship, karma, and other key concepts are illustrated through lavish, rare, high-definition footage of a cremation ceremony-considered a joyous prelude to reincarnation-a birth ceremony, a puberty rite, and a wedding. A priest explains the interplay...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
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Summary: Renamed Myanmar by its ruling junta, Burma is one of the world's poorest nations due to decades of iron-fisted military control and despite its valuable natural resources and priceless national treasures. This program presents an intriguing glimpse of Burmese life, ranging from washing the sacred Buddha at the Maha Muni Pagoda and the initiation of young Buddhist novices amid the ruins of Bagan...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: The elaborate rituals and timeless pageantry of Bali make the island unforgettable for visitors, yet few really understand what lies behind the dances, the costumes, and the ceremonies. With gorgeous, high-definition footage this program delves into the spiritual beliefs at the heart of Balinese traditions. Viewers observe the powerful Barong dance, in which participants fall into a trance and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
View online at AVOD
Summary: Water may be the world's hardest-working religious symbol, representing life, death, purification, destruction, and countless other ideas. This program studies the spiritual properties of water and the myriad ways in which humanity has regarded the precious substance over the millennia. Establishing a link between climate and the evolution of god-images, the video explores the notion of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006