This paper is designed to study rural space, especially the religious spaces connected to social and cultural life. The perception of this rural space has a lot in common with the historical perspective which has often been dominated by the colonial narrative of progress and development. However, from the present perspective, the works of anthropologists, ethnologists, and other sociologists have largely contributed to the understanding of rural space and folk cultural practices. Once the focus shifted from the colonial perspective toward rural areas and people, the public landscape of the region started to become visible. The cultural history of a region captures both the popular and official perspectives. In order to get an understanding of this process, the focus of this paper is on the religious architecture of Uttarakhand and depends on the temple structure, the place where the temple is situated, and the ways these structures are interpreted. The Uttarakhand region is one of the best examples of a land where the public space is culturally permeable. The presence of many sacred spaces like Badrinath are the main culprits of the region, which compel the people to visit these places and worship. Thus, the region of Uttarakhand is a place where the popular and official expressions of culture co-exist. When we look at the temples of Uttarakhand. It reflects the influence the importance of power in making the Temple an important part of the region. In this paper, I tried to analysis the same.

Authors:
Tania Sharma, University of Hyderabad, India

About the Presenter(s)
Tania Sharma is a Ph.D. scholar at the Department of History, at the University of Hyderabad working under Prof. Anindita Mukhopadhyay. Themes like geo, environment, women, society, and art histories also spark her interest.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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