Archaeology of Bhakti
Bhāgavatamāhātmya, undated edition (Gaṇapatakṛṣṇājī Mudrālaya, Bombay)
ahaṃ bhaktir iti khyātā (...)
utpannā drāviḍe sāhaṃ vrddhiṃ karṇāṭake gatā
kvacit kvacin mahārāṣṭre gurjare jīrṇatāṃ gatā (...)
vrndāvanaṃ punaḥ prāpya navīneva surūpiṇī
jātāhāṃ yuvatī samyak preṣṭharūpā tu sāṃpratam
Bhāgavatamāhātmya I.44-49 (partim)
" [I am called Bhakti (...)]
I was born in Dravida,
grew mature in Karnataka,
Went here and there in Maharashtra,
then in Gujarat became old and worn (...)
But on reaching Brindavan I was renewed,
I became lovely once again,
So that now I go about as I ought:
a young woman of superb appearance."
Translation by John Stratton Hawley ("Seeing the Bhakti Movement," In Archaeology and Text: The Temple in South Asia, ed. by Himanshu Prabha Ray, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2010, p. 234).
The Archaeology of Bhakti
August 3rd - 14th 2015
The third workshop in the series The Archaeology of Bhakti, coorganised by Valérie Gillet (EFEO, Pondicherry), Charlotte Schmid (EFEO, Paris) and E. Francis (CEIAS, EHESS & CNRS, Paris) will take place at the centre of the EFEO in Pondicherry from the 3rd to 14th August 2015.
This year's theme is "The Bhakti of Minor Dynasties". The call for contributions is available at the following link.
Jointly organised by IFP, the Alliance française de Pondichéry and the EFEO Centre in Pondicherry, this exhibition, conceived and realised by Jean Deloche, will be held as part of the Pondicherry Heritage Festival 2021.
This exhibition is an introduction to the history of the old French establishments in India and an inventory of their vanished monuments.
The whole meeting will take place online, the number of places will be restricted to 25 participants. For participation and registration please contact Eva Wilden. READ MORE
Françoise L'Hernault (1937-1999) spent two years at the University of Annamalai (Tamil Nadu) before joining the EFEO in 1971. Alone or accompanied by photographers with professional equipment, she methodically travels the Tamil country and gathers an exceptionally rich and rare photographic documentation: sculptures that have disappeared, monuments that have now been transformed by abusive renovations...
READ MORE
The EFEO library is open by appointment from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. It offers a document lending and return service every Wednesday.
To make an appointment for THE READING SPACE: CLICK HERE
To make an appointment for the LOAN-RETURN SERVICE: CLICK HERE
Please check the EFEO's Facebook page and Twitter account regularly for any updates to the terms and conditions of the public reception modalities.