Kings of the Wild

The re-use of local and Vedic elements in the legitimation process of Medieval Karnataka

Project funded by the Institutional Strategy of the University of Tübingen

(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, ZUK 63)

The project analyses the formation of the early medieval kingdoms in the area that is now the southern union of Karnataka; its aim is to chart the adaptive re-use of the ancient Vedic tradition (1500 c.a. BC – 500 c.a. B.C.) and the local cults in the complex construction of the dynastic authority (11th -13th cent. CE).

This research entails a new approach to the topic by combining two methodologies: the philological study of the textual material will be enhanced by the art-historical investigation on the medieval sacred areas. Moreover, a digital edition of the textual and artistic relevant documents has been created in collaboration with the eScience-Center of Tübingen University . Below two snapshots of the interface to geolocate and visualize the encoded data developed by the eScience-Center.
P.I.: Dr. Elena Mucciarelli
Research Fellow: Dr. Cristina Bignami
Link to the web-interface: http://www.indologie-carnatica.uni-tuebingen.de