Analysis of Gram Mandirs of Rajasthan as Living Traditions of Indian Knowledge System

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_10How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Gram Mandir; Gram Devta; Kul Devi; Kul Devta; Indian Knowledge System

Abstract

Temples have historically served as archives of multidisciplinary knowledge in the context of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), including astronomy, ritual calendars, architecture, performing arts, philosophy, and social governance. This has helped to preserve and spread indigenous epistemologies. Gram Mandirs are a unique and seldom researched aspect of Indian village life, serving as social regulatory hubs, places of worship, and repositories of collective memory. Gram Mandirs, in contrast to formal temple establishments, are ingrained in regular community activities and are maintained by oral traditions, ritual cycles, and customs passed down through the generations. These mandirs function as vibrant social institutions where community life, the dissemination of indigenous knowledge, and cultural continuity come together in addition to being centres of religious devotion.

There are around 47500 villages in Rajasthan, bestowed with latest one Gram Devta/ Devi, such as Baba Ramdev, Gogaji, Bhairo Ji, Pabuji, Kaila Devi, Karni Mata etc. These Kul Devi/ Devta ensures strings of strong social bond and promotes harmony. The objective of this paper is to study the Gram Mandirs of Rajasthan and bring out its relevance for the contemporary era. Furthermore, the paper focuses on age-old shared wisdom, ethical teachings, social cohesion, fostering social values in present generation.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Anamika Singh
AU  - Sumitra Kumari Buraniya
AU  - Mamta Pareek
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/15
TI  - Analysis of Gram Mandirs of Rajasthan as Living Traditions of Indian Knowledge System
BT  - Proceedings of the Anubhuti 4.0: Discourses in Indian Knowledge Systems – Pathways of Culture, Inclusion, and Sustainability (ICIKS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 109
EP  - 123
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_10
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_10
ID  - Singh2026
ER  -