Traditional Hinduism has appealed to Western eyes through its rich tableau of
visual artifacts: temple architecture, sculpture, painting, and craft. Guy Beck
argues, however, that the focus of Western scholars on Hinduism's visual
component has often been at the expense of the religion's most important feature
- its emphasis on sound. Beck addresses this longstanding imbalance in the path
breaking study. He contends that sound possess a central place in Hindu theory
and practice and that Hinduism is essentially a sonic theology.