ARTH 230
The Temple in South Asia Spring 2017
Division I Exploring Diversity Initiative
Cross-listed ASST 230
This is not the current course catalog

Towering over urban expansions and secluded forests, or turning up on roadside corners and in narrow back alleys, temples occupy a crucial place in the physical and sacred landscape of South Asia. At once meeting places for diverse communities, markers of piety and power, and architectural and sculptural wonders, temples are where artistic practice, devotion, and political and social aspirations come together. This lecture course explores the history, forms, and meanings of South Asian temples both as important works of architecture and centers of religious and social activity. Through topics such as ritual and sacred space, pilgrimage, architecture and symbolic cosmology, and the politics of architectural reuse, we will develop a multifaceted understanding of the temple in South Asia.