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A talk by Dr Nick Sutton of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Most Hindus are aware of the major contribution to the tradition that has come from the South of India in terms of both religious belief and practice.  In this talk, Nick Sutton will explore the history of South India along with its distinctive religious culture, and attempt to show how Dravidian Hinduism has had a major influence over all regions of the subcontinent

A talk by Dr Nick Sutton of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Most Hindus will at various times in the year offer their devotion to Shiva but there is also a rich tradition, stretching back to the Vedas and Upanishads, which regards Shiva as the one Supreme Deity standing above all others, including even Vishnu and Krishna. Over the centuries Shaivism has taken on a number of different forms and in this talk Nick Sutton will consider the nature of the Shaiva tradition, past and present, and the significance of Shiva for Hinduism today.

A talk by Ramesh Pattni of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Hinduism has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back thousands of years to the Upanisads in the later Vedic period. The oldest of these constitute the earliest philosophical compositions known to man. These were elaborate and highly sophisticated doctrinal schemes and metaphysical speculation developed within Hinduism. The talk is an introductory bird’s eye view of the six classical Hindu philosophical systems.

A talk By Anuradha Dooney of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Indian culture is noted for its wonderful love poetry and none more beautiful than that of the bhakti poets. Their devotion has become one of the greatest influences on Hindu practice by cutting through stereotypes of caste, gender and religion.

This talk explores bhakti, or devotion, through the writings of Antal a South Indian poetess from the 8th century; Chaitanya, a 15th century Bengali saint and Mirabai, a 16th century Rajasthani princess.

In this talk we will look at the influence of Hindu thought on Western literature. We will visit authors, periods, and themes, travelling from ancient times, through the medieval period, buffeted by the European Enlightenment and the Romantics, through German, British, and Americian representatives of the 18th - 20th centuries. We will see if the influence served to distinguish Indian perspectives as desirable or as detestable, or both, and look at issues of concern raised from this creative interaction.