Shrines and neighbourhood in early nineteenth-century Pune, India

Abstract

The roadside shrine, and similar such objects of devotion, are a characteristic feature of Hinduism and the Indian city. The distribution of such shrines is examined in Pune city for the early nineteenth century just prior to the British conquest. Evidence from vernacular Marathi documentation is available to map shrines by Pune's traditional neighbourhoods. Distinctions are drawn between the major temples of the high Sanskritic Hindu tradition with their subsidiary shrines and shrines of regional and folk deities. The relation of Muslim shrines to Hindu places of devotion is also considered. Analysis reveals shrines in the ritual, ceremonial and political core of Pune with a strong degree of place rootedness. The evolving suburban neighbourhoods however show a prevalence of new shrines of regional and folk deities.