Epigraphy and the Indian Epics

South and Southeast Asia contain an enormous number of inscriptions in Sanskrit and other languages. Many of these inscriptions have been published in collections such as Epigraphia Indica, Epigraphia Carnatica, and similar series, which represent an immense resource for exploring the regions' cultures and histories. The successful applicant for this scholarship will use these resources to map the ways in which characters and themes from the two great Indian epics, the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa, were deployed in these inscriptions. The data from this survey will help to determine the thematic, temporal and geographic scope of the popularising of the epics. The scholar will OCR the many volumes of inscriptions (available in most cases in existing digital scans), search for relevant terms, and then tabulate and map the data. If time is sufficient, an associated written project will also be developed.

This scholarship is open to students who have a background in the study of Indian culture and history. Some knowledge of Sanskrit is preferable.

For further info contact Dr Adam Bowles