page_title: The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual
section_title: Synopsis
hierarchical_section_title: The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual / Synopsis
caption_attribution_description: English: Varahavtar Panel Cave 5 This is a photo of ASI monument number&#160; N-MP-286.
context_page_description: The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual: Temples and the Establishment of the Gods is an archaeological study focusing in on the early development of Hinduism within the Gupta Empire between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. Written by the British archaeologist Michael D. Willis, curator of the South Asian and Himalayan collection at the British Museum, it was published by Cambridge University Press in 2009.
  The first major archaeological study to deal with the origins of Hinduism, The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual takes an interdisciplinary approach to the subject, making use of epigraphy, iconology and ethnography. The first chapter, "The Archaeology and Politics of Time at Udayagiri", pays particular attention to the ritual site at the Udayagiri Caves in Madhya Pradesh. The second, "Establishment of the Gods", looks at the development of temples and puja in India.
  Willis' book was positively reviewed in various peer reviewed academic journals, such as South Asian Studies and the Religious Studies Review, as well as in popular Indian newspaper The Hindu.
context_section_description: Willis opens the book with a discussion of the early Hindu ritual site at the Udayagiri Caves, a place that had ancient origins but which was reworked under the administration of the Gupta Emperor Candragupta II. He highlights the relationship that Candragupta II had with the Hindu god Viṣṇu before moving on to a discussion of his methodology. Noting that he takes an interdisciplinary approach that combines archaeological and historical evidence, he critiques earlier text-based historical approaches to studying the development of early Hinduism before returning to a discussion of Udayagiri. Willis closes his introduction by reiterating his belief that in Indian history, it was religion that drove economic and political relationships rather than the other way round.
  Chapter one, "The Archaeology and Politics of Time at Udayagiri", goes into greater depth regarding the archaeological site at the Udayagiri Caves, highlighting the fact that it served as a centre for "imperial ritual" during the Gupta period. Willis begins by describing the central ridge and passage at the site, before offering a synopsis of astronomical phenomenon and how it pertained to the Udayagiri site. He then discusses various sculptures at the site, such as that of Narasiṃha and of Varāha, two avatars of Viṣṇu.
  The second chapter, entitled "The Establishment of the Gods",
  Chapter three, "Ritual Action and Ritual Actors",
caption: Cave 5 at Udayagiri, depicting the god Vishnu as Varaha Avatar.
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