Book Review
Keywords:
Book Review, David Haberman, Journey Through the Twelve Forests, Braj, Banyatra, Krishna, Vaisnava Studies, Pilgrimage, Brajvasi, Religious experience, Indian religion, Vrindavan, Methodology of religious studies, Participant observation, Lived religionAbstract
In this review, Klaus K. Klostermaier evaluates David Haberman’s Journey Through the Twelve Forests, recognizing it as a landmark work in Vaisnava Studies and religious ethnography. The book documents Haberman’s immersive experience of the Banyatra, a traditional circular pilgrimage across the Braj region, sacred to devotees of Krishna. Combining textual scholarship with participant observation, the author offers a nuanced and richly textured portrayal of devotional life in Braj. The review emphasizes Haberman’s ability to balance academic rigor with personal spiritual insight, drawing on sources in Sanskrit, Hindi, and Braj Bhasa, and reflecting deeply on the methodology of religious studies. Klostermaier appreciates the book’s portrayal of the “aimless” yet meaningful nature of the pilgrimage, where knowledge of Krishna emerges not from doctrinal learning alone, but from embodied, lived experience—"seeing through the eyes of a Brajvasi." The review recommends the book for scholars of Indian religion, pilgrimage, and embodied spirituality, highlighting its accessibility, depth, and relevance.
