Cults and shrines in early historical Mathura (c.200 bc-ad 200)

Bibliographic Data

ID3918926
AuthorsUpinder Singh (corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume36
Issue3
Pages378-398
Publication date2004-09-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0043824042000282803
OpenAlexW1988673762
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited1

This paper uses archaeological evidence to identify some of the multiple religious strands and layers that mark the rich cultural landscape of ancient Mathura (in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh). Focusing on the four centuries between c. 200 bc and ad 200, it identifies what can be described in retrospect as an important stage in the early history of popular Hinduism. The paper highlights the importance of the old cults of the goddesses, yakshas, yakshis, nagas, nagis, and their interface with emerging Puranic pantheons. It delineates the architectural forms of early temples in the Mathura area, their sources of patronage and the religious dimensions of royal policy, bringing into focus the great resilience of some of the older cults

Ancient history · Archaeology · Geography · Hinduism · Sociology · State (computer science · Uttar pradesh · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · History · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Religious studies · South Asian Studies and Conflicts · Religious Studies

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