Polish Contributions to South Asian Studies

This volume brings together the papers presented by Polish scholars at the ECSAS 2016 (European Conference on South Asian Studies 2016) – the 24th conference of the European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS) that took place from 27 to 30 July 2016 at the University of Warsaw. It was co-organized by the Polish Oriental Society (PTO) and the University of Warsaw (Chair of South Asian Studies of the Faculty of Oriental Studies). This biennial event, the largest and most prestigious European conference concerned with research on South Asia, was held in Poland for the first time. The conference programme, including 49 panels and the keynote lecture entitled Asia, Europe and America in the Making of ‘Caste’ by Professor Sumit Guha (Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History) from the University of Texas at Austin attracted scholars from almost 40 countries. Thus, the event not only proved to be an exciting forum for academic interaction but also an excellent opportunity for Polish scholars, especially younger ones, to be more visible and audible than on other occasions when the ECSAS is organized abroad.
Taken together, they are meant to mark an improved Polish presence in Euro pean research on South Asia by presenting the substantial range of interests covered by South Asianists associated with Polish academia. Among the contributions, articles based on indigenous South Asian sources – both classical in Sanskrit, as well as modern in Hindi or Panjabi and early modern sources in Braj or Rajashtani – constitute the majority.