Religious Networks and Royal Influence in Eleventh Century South India

Abstract

The implication of an anthropologist, David Kaplan's argument for the study of the history of India is that it forces a reconsideration of the connection between royal power and the emergence of the great pilgrimage centers and their associated temple complexes under the stimulus of the medieval Hindu devotionalist movements. Of course, all Hindus who visited the temple were potential vehicles for its dissemination. But where did they come from? This chapter provides part of the answer by searching the inscriptions of the Tanjore temple for the evidence which they contain regarding persistent patterns of economic and other relationships between the temple and the various settlements which were spread across the countryside. Among the useful anthropological concepts which assist historians in discerning certain significant patterns in medieval Indian society is the theme of networks-and-centers. This concept provides an important key to one dimension of India's social integration. Keywords: India's social integration; medieval Hindu devotionalist movements; medieval Indian society; royal power; Tanjore temple; temple complexes