Plural Devotion & Jain Pilgrimage: Sacred Landscapes of Mysore

This journey explores southern India’s plural devotional traditions through temple-centered sacred geographies and Jain pilgrimage networks. Centered in the Mysore region, students examine kingship, civic identity, ritual practice, and ethical frameworks across traditions.

The program encourages close observation of how devotion, governance, art, and public culture intersect in everyday life, offering a comparative lens grounded in lived experience rather than abstract theory.

Students will:

Practice ethical documentation of worship and sacred practice.
Examine how temple institutions shape civic life and regional identity.
Compare Jain pilgrimage ethics with broader devotional traditions.
Ask: How does sacred practice become public culture?
Develop a structured portfolio integrating ritual mapping and reflective analysis.

Anthropology

Sociology

Philosophy

History

South Asian Studies

Cultural Studies

Political Science

Education

Art History

Performance Studies

Urban Studies

Ethics

Comparative Religion

Bengaluru

Mysore Region

Jain Pilgrimage Corridor (Karnataka)

Day	Location	Academic Focus & Activities	Learning Emphasis
1	Bengaluru	Arrival; orientation; introduction to religion as lived system	Establishing shared inquiry norms
2–3	Bengaluru	Seminar: plural public religion; ethics of documenting sacred practice; preparatory texts	Building respectful field methodology
4–7	Mysore Region	Temple-centered sacred geography immersion; kingship & civic identity lens; community reciprocity dialogue	Observing devotion as an institution and identity
8–10	Jain Pilgrimage Corridor	Pilgrimage economy observation; iconography workshop; Jain ethics discussion	Comparing traditions through shared analytical frameworks
11–12	Bengaluru	Synthesis studio; portfolio development	Integrating lived observation with philosophical reflection
13	Bengaluru	Departure	Closure