Vasudha Narayanan

Vasudha Narayanan is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Bombay and has held leadership roles including President of the American Academy of Religion (2001-2002). Her research focuses on Hindu traditions in India, Cambodia, and America, with particular emphasis on visual culture, gender, and material religion.

Educated at the Universities of Madras, Bombay, and Harvard, her work explores themes such as Hindu temple architecture in Cambodia, diasporic religious practices, and gendered expressions of devotion. She has authored nine books, including co-editing the Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism, and has been supported by grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, NEH, and ACLS. In 2023, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Her research interests span Khmer art history, Bhakti poetry, and the intersection of religion with environmental ethics. She co-founded the Center for the Study of Hindu Traditions (CHiTra) at UF, dedicated to advancing scholarship on Hindu culture. Her recent work examines the cultural and religious exchanges between India and Cambodia, as well as the role of performance and ritual in diasporic Hindu communities.

Notable awards include the University of Florida’s Teacher Scholar of the Year (2010). Her articles analyze topics ranging from temple iconography to gendered devotional practices, reflecting her commitment to interdisciplinary and globally oriented religious studies.