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The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual

Temples and the Establishment of the Gods

Michael Willis author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:27th Apr '09

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The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual cover

Willis examines how gods of early Hinduism came to be established in temples, combining Sanskrit textual evidence with archaeological data.

Willis examines how the gods of early Hinduism came to be established in temples, how their cults were organized, and how the ruling elite supported their worship. Examining the emergence of these key historical developments, Willis combines Sanskrit textual evidence with archaeological data from inscriptions, sculptures, temples, and sacred sites.In this groundbreaking study, Michael Willis examines how the gods of early Hinduism came to be established in temples, how their cults were organized, and how the ruling elite supported their worship. Examining the emergence of these key historical developments in the fourth and fifth centuries, Willis combines Sanskrit textual evidence with archaeological data from inscriptions, sculptures, temples, and sacred sites. The centrepiece of this study is Udayagiri in central India, the only surviving imperial site of the Gupta dynasty. Through a judicious use of landscape archaeology and archaeo-astronomy, Willis reconstructs how Udayagiri was connected to the Festival of the Rainy Season and the Royal Consecration. Through his meticulous study of the site, its sculptures and its inscriptions, Willis shows how the Guptas presented themselves as universal sovereigns and how they advanced new systems of religious patronage that shaped the world of medieval India.

"...this will be an essential study for all scholars interested in the historical development of medieval Indic temple religion." -John E. Cort, Religious Studies Review

ISBN: 9780521518741

Dimensions: 260mm x 186mm x 24mm

Weight: 870g

390 pages