The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual

Temples and the Establishment of the Gods

By:

Michael Willis

Format:

Hardback

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Description

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.

Author Biography:

Michael Willis is curator of the early South Asian and Himalayan collections at the British Museum. A Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University, he is the author of The Temples of Gopaksetra and Buddhist Reliquaries from Ancient India.

Release date Australia

April 27th, 2009

Author

Michael Willis

Audiences

Professional & Vocational
Undergraduate

Illustrations

4 Maps; 28 Halftones, unspecified; 15 Line drawings, unspecified

Pages

390

Dimensions

186x260x24

ISBN-13

9780521518741

Product ID

2781386

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