Dear visitors,
please note that the Doctoral College (Initiativkolleg): “Cultural Transfers and Cross-Contacts in the Himalayan Borderlands” has ended and our website will no longer be updated.
For information on our ongoing research, events and activities please refer to the website of our Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Documentation of Inner and South Asian Cultural History (CIRDIS).
Hans-Jürgen David
South Asian Studies
Badrināth: At the Periphery of Cultures. Sacred Landscape, Cultural Transfers and the Dynamics of a Pilgrimage Center.
Supervisor: Univ. Prof. Dr. Martin Gaenszle
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Hans-Jürgen David studied Comparative Religion (ID Religionswissenschaft) at the University of Vienna and received his Magister with a thesis on Kedarnath – a temple in the vicinity of Badrinath. Subsequently he shifted his focus to Modern South Asian Studies and continued his research on the region of Garhwal. The main focus of his research is Badrināth, one of most important pilgrimage destinations in India. It attracts around 750.000 pilgrims a year – despite its location deep in the Himalaya at an altitude of over 3100m. The temple was influenced by Tibetans, pilgrims from South India and by the British – which makes this distinct place a perfect example for cultural transfers. The aim of his dissertation is to show the transformation of the shrine throughout time, the impact of different cultures on the religious life and to collect related narratives in the region.
