The findings of the 2007 OCHS Shivdasani Conference, Archaeology and Text, have been published by Oxford University Press. The collection is edited by OCHS Shivdasani fellow, Himanshu Prabha Ray (JNU).
In his preface, Gavin Flood, OCHS Academic Director, says, “The temple signifies a new kind of understanding of religious life, an understanding closely linked with medieval political developments and rise of powerful dynasties. Indeed, the temple marks the importance of the region during this time was clearly a political centre and expression of power.”
This volume brings together scholars from a range of academic specialisations to study a crucial element of Indian culture-the Hindu temple. Highlighting the importance of cultural politics, patronage, and ritual practice, this volume provides an appraisal of temple and religious life in the past through a variety of perspectives such as art history, archaeology, anthropology, political history. Divided into two sections, the first deals with the archaeology of the temple. It includes not just religious structures and standing monuments but also an analysis of the location of the religious architecture within the social domain. The second section discusses texts connected with asceticism and Bhakti traditions. It also explores the interaction between the religious architecture and the diverse interest groups like the worshippers, ritual specialists, patrons, and artisans.
The contributors are: Himanshu Prabha Ray, Parul Pandya Dhar, Devangana Desai, Kumud Kantikar, Lisa N Owen, Sandrine Gill, Sanjay Garg, Indra Sengupta, Patrick Olivelle, Natalia R Lidova, John Stratton Hawley, John E Cort and T. S. Rukmani.
The book is available through Amazon