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Prototypes and Models | History | Volume 15 Issue 2, February 2026 | Pages: 1651 - 1654 | India
Institutional Structures, Economic Networks, and Cultural Authority on Socio-Economic Role of Temples in Ancient India
Abstract: Temples in ancient India were not merely sacred spaces devoted to ritual worship but functioned as powerful socio-economic institutions embedded within regional political economies and cultural systems. This study examines the multifaceted role of temples between the early historic and late medieval periods, with particular emphasis on their economic, administrative, social, and redistributive functions. Drawing upon epigraphic records, inscriptions, land grants, and architectural evidence from major temple centers such as the Brihadeeswara Temple and the Konark Sun Temple, this research situates temples within broader agrarian, mercantile, and state structures. The paper argues that temples operated as corporate bodies managing land, labor, taxation, artisanal production, and trade networks while simultaneously legitimizing political authority and reinforcing social hierarchy. Through a critical engagement with historiography and economic anthropology, this study reinterprets temples as dynamic institutions that mediated between kingship, community, and economy.
Keywords: Temple economy, agrarian relations, land grants, redistribution, ritual authority, ancient India, temple administration, political theology
How to Cite?: Dr. S. Petchimuthu, "Institutional Structures, Economic Networks, and Cultural Authority on Socio-Economic Role of Temples in Ancient India", Volume 15 Issue 2, February 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1651-1654, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26224123318, DOI: https://dx.dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26224123318