The Afterlife of Sai Baba

"Engaging and accessible. . . . A valuable contribution not only for its ability to fill a content gap in the study of modern South Asian religion, but for its successful use of this data to explore the inherent paradoxes that reformist spiritual movements face in such a context. Beyond scholars of South Asian and transnational Hinduism, the clarity and accessibility of this work will make it pertinent to anyone interested in the dynamics of modern religious syncretism."

~Anya P. Foxen, Reading Religion

"Karline McLain’s multilayered, multitextual, and multisited study, The Afterlife of Sai Baba, vividly and compellingly depicts the complex and evolving 100-year legacy since the death of famous Maharashtrian saint, Sai Baba from Shirdi."

~H-Net Reviews

"A welcome, long-overdue scholarly account of the development of multiple modes of veneration of Shirdi Sai Baba. . . . McLain’s inviting and lively prose will appeal to a wide range of readers, including general readers interested in saint cults and religion, as well as to those with specialized interests in South Asian popular religion and history. . . . This book would be a wonderful text to use with university students in history, anthropology, and religious studies."

~Anne Elizabeth Hardgrove, Nova Religio