Universität Wien

142251 UE Encountering the Horrifying ‘Other’ in Ancient India (2026S)

Readings from Banabhatta’s Kadambari on the Representation of Outsiders

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 14 - Orientalistik, Afrikawissenschaften, Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismusk
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
Mi 13.05. 09:30-11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 24 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

  • Mittwoch 04.03. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 11.03. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 18.03. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 25.03. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 15.04. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 22.04. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 29.04. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 06.05. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 20.05. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 27.05. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 03.06. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 10.06. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 17.06. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Mittwoch 24.06. 09:30 - 11:00 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

We aim to read excerpts drawn from the Kādambarī, Bāṇabhaṭṭa’s 7th century prose-poem often considered one of the world’s earliest novels. Although this work centres on the fate of two love-struck couples, some of its most memorable passages are descriptions of what we might call “outsiders” – groups who exist whether by choice or birth on the margins of civilized Indian society. Such groups as caṇḍālas (outcasts), Śabaras (forest tribes) and practitioners of transgressive religion are depicted by Bāṇa using a wealth of imagery that conjures horror, humour, longing and awe. We focus on three segments from this novel: the depiction of the Śabara army as it undertakes a violent forest hunt, the description of a Caṇḍālā maiden who presents herself at the court of King Śudraka and the protagonist’s encounter with the gruesome jungle temple of Caṇḍikā occupied by a Draviḍa priest. As we read, students will be guided to unpack the ornate language and literary devices of this genre as well as the specific tropes and imagery commonly applied to outsiders. You will be encouraged to discuss broad questions raised by the text including, “Who constitutes an outsider in ancient India and what makes them so?”, “What is the relationship between the city and the forest and why might the former be drawn to the latter?”, “Can the text really tell us anything about the “other” in the ancient world?”.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

Oral and written performances constitute 50% each of the assessment basis. The oral performance consists of continuous participation, especially in the presentation of translations and text analyses, as well as participation in discussion and text interpretation, also considering recommended secondary literature. The written performance includes some smaller assignments and exercises as well as a written test. A maximum of three absences will be tolerated if compensation tasks are fulfilled. If more than three sessions are missed without proof of a valid reason, a negative evaluation will be given. In justified cases compensation tasks can be agreed upon with the course instructor.

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Participants are expected to prepare in advance for assigned Sanskrit excerpts during class and to present their translations. They should also engage in discussions both on the stylistic/linguistic aspects of the prepared text as well as specific themes set for each class and wider topics of enquiry relevant to the course. Assigned background/secondary reading should be carried and written work handed in on time.

Prüfungsstoff

Literatur

The primary Sanskrit text used in this course is:

Bāṇabhaṭṭa (and Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa). 1916. The Kādambarī of Bāṇabhaṭṭan and His Son (Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa), with the Commentaries of Bhānucandra and His Disciple Siddhacandra. Edited by Kāśīnātha Pāṇḍuraṅga Paraba; revised by Vāsudeva Laxmaṇa Śāstrī Pāṇsīkara. Bombay: Satyabhāmābāī Pāṇḍuraṅga for the Nirṇaya-Sāgar Press.

The following edition will also be consulted for linguistic support:

Kale, M. R. 1968 (reprint). Bāṇa’s Kādambarī: Pūrvabhāga Complete. Edited with a new Sanskrit commentary (Tattvaprakāśikā), introduction, notes, and a literal English translation by Moreshvar Ramchandra Kale. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

For orientation, participants are advised to read the introductions to the following translations, in addition to Kale (1968):

Ridding, C. M. 1896. The Kādambarī of Bāṇa. London: Royal Asiatic Society.

Layne, Quinn. 1991. Kādambarī: A Classic Sanskrit Story of Magical Transformations. New York & London: Garland Publishing, Inc. (An open-access PDF of the translation text is available.)

Secondary literature will be assigned each week but some preliminary literature includes:

Chattopadhyaya, Braja Dulal. 2018. “The State’s Perception of the ‘Forest’ and the ‘Forest’ as State in Early India.” In The Concept of Bharatavarsha and Other Essays, 57–76. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Ferstl, Christian. 2019. “Bāṇa’s Literary Representation of a South Indian Śaivite.” In Tantric Communities in Context, edited by Nina Mirnig, Marion Rastelli, and Vincent Eltschinger, 171–201. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press.

Gaur, R. C. 1978. “Kādambarī as a Source for Contemporary Administrative History.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 110, no. 1: 21–30. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00134197.

Ghosh, Suchandra, and Soumya Porel. 2024. “Portrayal of the Forest People: The ‘Other’ in the Epigraphic Records of Early India.” In Self-Representation and Presentation of Others in Indic Epigraphical Writing, edited by Dániel Balogh and Annette Schmiedchen, 1–20. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. https://doi.org/10.13173/9783447122306.

Parasher-Sen, Aloka. 2019. “Habitation, Woods and the Wild: Differentiating Forest in Early India.” In Questioning Paradigms, Constructing Histories: A Festschrift for Romila Thapar, edited by Kumkum Roy and Naina Dayal, 124–141. New Delhi: Aleph Book Company.

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

MASK6a PR UE a

Letzte Änderung: Fr 27.02.2026 11:26