Shashank Rao

PhD Student

Fields of Study

Areas of Interest

  • Śaivism in South India
  • Bhakti
  • Tantric traditions 
  • Religion and literature in premodern South Asia
  • South India
  • Indonesia

Biography

Shashank Rao completed his BA in Global Liberal Studies (concentrating in Politics, Rights, and Development) at New York University. He obtained a master of international affairs degree at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and his master of divinity degree at the University of Chicago, focusing on Kannada Śaivism. His research concerns the interaction of literature and religion in South Indian religious traditions, particularly in Śaivism. He also has interests in the connection between Śaiva thought and literature in Javanese Śaivism, as related to the history of thought in South India.