Culture in Circulation in Eighteenth-Century North India

Abstract

This chapter explains the study of the circulation of ideas and culture by focusing on the fusion of cultures in eighteenth-century North India. It addresses two types of circulation: first, the confluence of the milieus of court and temple, and second, the movement back and forth from the center to the periphery. The chapter first explains the confluence of the milieus of court and temple with regard to the Krishna devotional movement. It focuses on the circulation of ideas between the regions of Braj and Rajasthan as related in the hagiographies, paying particular attention to the provincial court of Kishangarh, which in turn had close relationships with the Mughal court in Delhi. The chapter also looks at the movement between the Mughal court in Delhi and regional political centers, with which it was in touch via a constant stream of visiting courtiers and vassals. Keywords: Braj; court culture; eighteenth-century North India; Kishangarh; Krishna devotional movement; Mughal court; Rajasthan; regional political centers; temple culture