Kanchipuram is one of India’s so-called “seven holy cities,” which, in Hinduism, are believed to play a special role in achieving “liberation” (mokṣa) from the cycle of existence (saṃsāra), which is understood as a source of suffering. According to Hindu belief, there is a special connection between the divine realm and the human realm in this city and its temples, which is realized through rituals. The city is considered particularly “salvific,” a quality derived from the actions of the gods at this very site, for here the actions of the gods serve as a model for human conduct. In this way, the world of the gods becomes accessible and tangible to humans. The underlying medieval narratives remain popular to this day and are passed down in a variety of ways: written down as texts in the transregional language Sanskrit and the regional language Tamil, immortalized as inscriptions on temple walls, depicted visually in stone reliefs, sculptures, and murals, passed down orally by local temple priests who explain the significance of the site to pilgrims and tourists, and also through temple festivals that bring these narratives to life. Using the example of the marriage of two gods—celebrated annually by the entire city and accompanied by the weddings of hundreds of human couples—this lecture will shed light on the special closeness between the human and divine worlds in Kanchipuram.

About the Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ute Hüsken is the head of the Department of “Cultural and Religious History of South Asia” at the Institute for South Asian Studies at Heidelberg University. After completing her studies and earning her Ph.D. in Göttingen (1996) and her habilitation in Heidelberg (2002), she served as a project director in the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) “Ritual Dynamics” at Heidelberg University. In 2007, she was appointed as a professor in Oslo. In 2017, she accepted a position that brought her back to Heidelberg, where she has also been leading the project “Legends of Hindu Temples in South India,” based at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, since 2022.

About the lecture series: This public lecture series has been taking place for 20 years now, featuring scholars from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as well as from its seven sister academies. The lectures are aimed at a broad audience to provide insights into the research. Afterward, attendees have the opportunity to chat with the scholars over pretzels and wine in the Academy’s courtyard garden.

We are grateful that the Heidelberg Adult Education Center (vhs Heidelberg) is also promoting the series.