Course Details

This course provides a glimpse into India’s wisdom via the study of the ever-popular songs of its holy men, the saints of the bhakti or devotional tradition. These songs are still sung from temples to village courtyards, from movie soundtracks to the classical concert stage. They are used not only in worship, but also in education, performing arts, and politics.

We will look at songs dating from the middle of the first millennium CE through today, including South- as well as North-Indian ones, focusing on some of the most influential works of the Indian devotional tradition. We will study them in their cultural context, but with an eye to how these texts are interpreted and used in contemporary religion and politics. Although the works covered in the course were originally composed in Indian languages, they will be read in English translation.