The Blurred Boundaries of Traditions: Temple and Maṭha Management in Early South Asia

The emergence of institutionalized Śaivism did not happen in a vacuum. As archaeological data confirm, early Śaiva centers developed in close proximity to, or even shared space with, pre-existing religious communities whose organizational structures had been evolving for centuries. The main historical and doctrinal developments of early Śaivism therefore unfolded in environments where the tradition coexisted, often quite literally side by side, with other highly institutionalized religions, such as Buddhism and Jainism.
 

This situation not only fostered various forms of emulation, but also laid the groundwork for the creation of shared languages across multiple fields of expertise and human expression, from the arts to administration.
 

​In this presentation, the speaker​ will examine newly identified evidence linking the Buddhist and Śaiva worlds through the lens of maṭha administration, a domain in which early Śaiva communities may well have looked to Buddhist models. Her focus will be both on the acquisition of elements from one group to the other, and on the emergence of common forms of worship and expression that blur the boundaries between religious traditions.​