Shastras in Stone
Tracing Dharmaśāstra in the Inscriptions of Kakatiya, Hoysala and Vijayanagara empires
Course Summary
This foundational course Śāstra in Stone is an exploration of the intersection between Dharmaśāstra texts and epigraphic traditions of medieval South India. This course examines how the principles such as dāna, rājadharma, varṇa-āśrama dharma, and puṇya articulated in Sanskrit legal and ethical treatises found expression, reinterpretation, and adaptation in the stone inscriptions issued by South Indian dynasties including the Kakatiyas, Hoysalesvaras, and Vijayanagara emperors.
Through this study, the course seeks to demonstrate to the participants how Dharmaśāstra ideals were localized within specific socio-political and ritual contexts, bridging the gap between prescriptive textual traditions and their lived, administrative, and devotional realities.
Course Curriculum
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