This course offers an introduction on Hindu and Buddhist temple culture in South and South-East Asia. With reference to case studies of important sacred sites, we will explore the religious, historical, and cultural context of sacred monuments, sculptures and artefact. Further, we will example a range of temple rituals commonly associated with these sites. Thus, we will address basic questions, such as "What is a temple", "What is the spatial organization of a temple?", and "Which rites and other religious practices take place there?".

This course is jointly taught by Nina Mirnig and Verena Widorn. Registration for both courses (LV-Nr. S05398 and LV-Nr. S03406) is thus mandatory to successfully complete. The course language is English and the course will take place online.

The course will be concluded with a written exam.