Dr. Marion Rastelli will visit the Cultural and Religious History of South Asia Department from January 11 to January 18 in the context of the vibrant Erasmus exchange between Heidelberg and Vienna Universities. Dr. Rastelli will join the Block Seminar Kolloquium during which PhD, MA and BA candidates of the department will present their work. She will also will read sections from the Padma Purana with Sanskrit students of the department. In addition, she will give a presentation in Prof. Hüsken’s Seminar “South Indian Temple Cultures”  on the history of branding as identity marker of South Indian Vaishnavas.

Marion Rastelli is a Sanskritist. She works as a senior researcher and deputy director at the Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and also teaches at the Institute for South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies of the University of Vienna. Her main field of research is the Vaiṣṇava tradition of Pāñcarātra in all its aspects, including teachings, rituals and historical development. She is co-editor of the renowned Tāntrikābhidhānakośa, a dictionary of technical terms from Hindu Tantric literature.

On Friday, December 8, the SAI cordially invites you to attend the graduation ceremony at 18h in the CATS lecture hall (010.01.05). The Executive Director of the Institute, Prof. Dr. Kama Maclean will welcome the participants, Prof. Dr. Hans Harder will give the keynote speech on "The Future of South Asia in South Asian Science Fiction". Afterwards, the graduates will be honored and a representative of the Friends and Sponsors of the SAI will present awards for the best theses. Traditionally, students have the last word: (former) students Deekshya Bhal, Md. Mizanur Rahman and Prateek Pankaj will deliver the student closing remarks. The event is followed by a small winter party with the support of the student council.