Forsyth Visiting Graduate Student
About
Shreya Hari Nurani is a second-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of ASPECT at Virginia Tech. She comes from Delhi, India where she read History for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, specializing in the history of Ancient and Early Medieval India. Holding degrees in Carnatic classical music and the Bharatanatyam dance form, she believes that her participation in these art forms from an early age has cultivated in her a deep interest in such important fields as religion, culture, traditions, arts, and aesthetics. Throughout her academic journey, Shreya has explored multiple fields of social-scientific inquiry and has been researching and writing on diverse and relevant historical and cultural topics such as Bhakti in Early Medieval India, Lesser-known Monuments of Delhi, and, most recently, Decolonization in Goa, among others.
Currently, Shreya is working on the history of the temple of Mahākaleśvar located in Ujjain in central India. She seeks to examine the historical emergence and evolution of the temple and the cult of Mahākal, along with its political, religious, and cultural importance in the history of the Indian subcontinent. A major part of her research will also focus on the art and architecture of the temple complex. She will extend her research as a Forsyth Visiting Graduate Student under the able guidance of Prof. Nachiket Chanchani.
