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From the author of The Last Mughal (“A compulsively readable masterpiece” —The New York Review of Books), an exquisite, mesmerizing book that illuminates the remarkable ways in which traditional forms of religious life in India have been transformed in the vortex of the region’s rapid change—a book that distills the author’s twenty-five years of travel in India, taking us deep into ways of life that we might otherwise never have known exist.

A Buddhist monk takes up arms to resist the Chinese invasion of Tibet—and spends the rest of his life atoning for the violence by hand printing the finest prayer flags in India . . . A Jain nun tests her powers of detachment as she watches her closest friend ritually starve herself to death . . . A woman leaves her middle-class life in Calcutta and finds unexpected fulfillment living as a Tantric in an isolated, skull-filled cremation ground . . . A prison warder from Kerala is worshipped as an incarnate deity for three months of every year . . . An idol carver, the twenty-third in a long line of sculptors, must reconcile himself to his son’s desire to study computer engineering . . . An illiterate goatherd from Rajasthan keeps alive in his memory an ancient four-thousand-stanza sacred epic . . . A temple prostitute, who initially resisted her own initiation into sex work, pushes both her daughters into a trade she nonetheless regards as a sacred calling.

William Dalrymple chronicles these lives with expansive insight and a spellbinding evocation of circumstance. And while the stories reveal the vigorous resilience of individuals in the face of the relentless onslaught of modernity, they reveal as well the continuity of ancient traditions that endure to this day. A dazzling travelogue of both place and spirit.

User Reviews about Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India

William Dalrymple's latest book, Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India, raises the question in relief: what is sacred, what is spiritual, and how do those qualities exist against a backdrop of daily life, its woes and joys, triumphs and travails? Dalrymple seeks out individuals who imbue their lives with their own apprehensions of the sacred. These exemplars are more often than not at the fringes of modern India (and in one case, Pakistan). Three or four truly stand out, lingering in the reader's memory--not just because Dalrymple lets us see them as fully developed individuals, but because their beliefs are so strong, so informed by their lives. The book isn't perfect: a couple of the choices are, if not unconvincing, then not up to the standard of the others, but they are the exception.

The nine seekers cover a broad swath of belief systems in India, though sidestep orthodox Muslim and Christians. In fact, they are mostly unorthodox, outside of the mainstream of belief. They need to be, in a sense: if they weren't, their devotion would be halfhearted, not defining. The first chapter, "The Nun's Tale," is powerful and disturbing. The young nun in question is a Jain, a member of the sect that began around 600 BC and which is most notable for its belief in absolute non-harming of other beings. Jains gently sweep the paths they take, to avoid stepping on insects, and will wear masks to protect any flying creatures or even microbes from being breathed in.

Prasannamati Mataji comes from a well-to-do family, but at an early age is drawn to the acetic life of the Jain nuns. Following tradition, she ceremonially plucks all her own hair out as a sign of her devotion to the way, and wanders with her fellow Jains, no possessions but her bowl, her whisk, and her robes. Shortly before we meet Mataji, a companion of hers for a number of years, dying of tuberculosis, performs sallekhana, ritually starving herself to death. In the end, Mataji tells Dalrymple that she, too, has decided to take the same path, even though she is healthy and in her mid-30s. "First you give up your home, then your possessions. Finally you give up your body," she says by way of explanation. It's a jarring reminder of the all-encompassing--some might say dark--side of some forms of spirituality.

Then there is Hari Das, a Dalit--an untouchable--who digs water wells for well-off Brahmins nine months of the year, but for three is a dancer of epics, channeling Hindu gods. Wearing the costume of a god, he becomes that god in his trance-like dances, and the otherwise disdainful Brahmins eagerly seek his approval. Dalrymple sympathetically portrays Das in his contradictory life, god and untouchable. Then there is Srikanda, a maker of idols from a family of idol-makers going back 700 years. Once the eyes of the bronze-cast idols are carved opened--the final step for the artist, performed following ancient ritual practice--they literally become those gods. As Srikanda tells Dalrymple, everyone has worries--money, family, and work--but the idols are gods who help supersede them all. But one worry remains: Srikanda's son is drawn to video games and a career in computers in Bangalore. The 700-year family tradition is in imminent danger of a sudden death.

That intrusion of the modern world reappears again for the female Sufi we meet in Pakistan's Sindh province, where orthodox Wahhabis are building madrassas--orthodox Islamic schools--to inculcate the young and root out the singing and dancing Sufis and their belief in saint worship. Likewise, a young Tibetan monk, who fled his native country in 1959 with the Dalai Lama, cast off his robes to fight the Chinese, and ended up spending a career in the Indian Army. Finally retired by the time Dalrymple meets him, he takes up his vows again, living in Dharamsala, the center of Tibetan Buddhists in northern India.

Most touching of all are Dalrymple's two final profiles: a woman devoted to the fearsome goddess Tara, who lives in the cremation grounds of Tarapith, and a blind baul, a wandering religious singer. Both are outcasts who have found great joy amidst their tremendous suffering, attaining a peace that the householders of modern India could likely never approach. Their stories, like all in this book, are told mostly in the first person, in lengthy quotes, Dalrymple acting as midwife to their tales. They seem to come from a world much removed from our own, from modern life itself, but they aren't. They are here and now: a testament to the multiplicity of faith in India, and even perhaps, to that country's celebration of the sacred. As Kanai Das Baul, the blind wandering spiritual singer from Bengal, says of his music, "It makes us so happy, that we don't remember what sadness is."



-- Seekers of Spiritual Truth

Dalrymple brings, the real face of India, with such ease - great writing skill. Indian spirituality is often misunderstood in the west and 'nine lives' brings stories of common Indians and their beliefs and faith. The book shows the multitude of faiths in India - and how each is facing the explosive growth and 'modernity' that is sweeping India. Dalrymple states it best - 'the water moves on, a little faster than before, yet still the great river flows'.

The book is so well written - I couldn't put it down.. Can't wait to get started on his others (this is my first). -- Tremendous

NINE LIVES: IN SEARCH OF THE SACRED IN MODERN INDIA provides a powerful survey of religious life in India and comes from the author's twenty-five years of travel in India. From a Jain nun who watches her closest friend ritually starve herself to a temple prostitute who pushes both daughters into a trade she regards as sacred, this packs in many eye-opening insights perfect for spiritual and general-interest lending collections alike. -- Packs in many eye-opening insights perfect for spiritual and general-interest lending collections alike

Great reading! I became completely engrossed in each of the nine beautifully drawn portraits in Dalrymple's Nine Lives - to the point where I wanted to go meet each one of the main characters and keep following their stories.

As a whole, the book gives a taste of the wide variety of spiritual experience/practice found in India. If you are not already familiar with Indian (including Muslim/Sufi, Jain, and Buddhist, not just Hindu) spirituality, some of the stories might seem shocking or even repulsive, so be warned; and other than providing some helpful and interesting historical context, Dalrymple does not go into much explanation or analysis of the underlying philosophy or metaphysics of the spiritual paths described in the book, so the unfamiliar westerner may also feel disoriented and confused or simply lost; but if you are open-minded or if you already have some understanding of concepts like bhakti, dharma, yoga, tantra, etc., then there is a good chance that you will find these stories fascinating, mind-expanding, and heart-opening. Personally, it does me good to see that there are so many people out there in the world pursuing their unique and distinct visions of truth, love, and the divine with such total commitment and dedication.

Maybe most importantly, I found the seekers described in Nine Lives to be role-models providing me with inspiration for my own seeking and encouragement to face my own obstacles and go beyond some of the more constricting boundaries imposed by modern, western values and mores. Part of the reason for this is that the characters I met in the book seemed so real. They are not big-name teachers and gurus from large, well-funded organizations which often represent "official" Indian spirituality in the west. These are very real people dealing with very real difficulties, but doing so with a great deal of humility and dignity, within their respective traditions. All of the stories are tinged with sadness (some stories more so than others), none of which is glossed over, and I felt that this contributed greatly to their power.

Only time will tell if India will manage to hold on to Her amazing spiritual heritage in the face of modernization, but Nine Lives gives the hopeful impression that She is managing to do so - at least for the time being. -- wonderful portraits of real-life Indian spirituality

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was the first book I have read by William Dalrymple and for some reason I had expected his writing to be academic and dry. I could not have been more wrong. He writes with such a flow and ease that his words carry you on a journey with him. The journeys that he takes you on with this book are so touching and beautiful. The nine stories are of nine people from throughout India and from many different religious paths. It not only introduces you to these people and their way of life, but also shows how modernity has made an impact on their religious traditions. You get a history and current affairs lesson with many of the stories. It seems as if Dalrymple wants his readers to understand his subjects within the context of history and of present day. I appreciate the way he stepped back and let these people tell their own stories. It showed humility and respect and I thought it was well done. I can not recommend this treasure of a book any more. -- Beautiful, Well Written, Touching, and Interesting Book