The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual : Temples and the Establishment of the Gods

Willis, Michael

Cambridge University Press（2009/04発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 390 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780521518741
• DDC分類 294.5350902

Full 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.

Contents

1. The archaeology and politics of time at Udayagiri; 2. The establishment of the gods; 3. Ritual action and ritual actors.