Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi (28 February 1931 – 1 December 1985) was an Indian

Anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

known for his work on the anthropology of religion and pioneering studies on the sacred complex in Indian society.

Education

Vidyarthi holds a master’s degree in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

from

Lucknow University University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is one of the oldest public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. LU's main campus is located at Badshah Bagh, University Road area of the city with a second ...

, having studied under D. N. Majumdar. In 1958, he earned a Ph.D. from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

under the supervision of

Robert Redfield Robert Redfield (December 4, 1897 – October 16, 1958) was an American anthropologist and ethnolinguist, whose ethnographic work in Tepoztlán, Mexico, is considered a landmark of Latin American ethnography. He was associated with the Universi ...

and McKim Marriott. His doctoral dissertation was titled ''The Sacred Complex of a Traditional City of Northern India''.

Career

He began his academic career as a Professor at

Ranchi College Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, formerly Ranchi College, is a state university located in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. It is named after the Indian politician Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. It was established as a college in 1926 and upgraded to ...

(then affiliated with

Bihar University Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, (abbreviated as BRABU) also known as B.R. Ambedkar Bihar University, is a state university located in Muzaffarpur. Established in 1960, the university has 37 constituent colleges and offers a range of ...

), serving there from 1953 to 1956. He later joined

Ranchi University Ranchi University is a public state university in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. It was established in 1960 by an Act of the Bihar legislature. Ranchi University offers degrees in undergraduate, post-graduate, M.Phil. and doctorate programs. History ...

as a Professor of Anthropology, teaching from 1958 to 1968, and became the head of the Anthropology Department in 1968, a position he held until he died in 1985.

Death

Vidyarthi passed away on December 1, 1985.

Works

Vidyarthi encouraged Indian social scientists to study scriptures like the

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

Upanishads The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

, and

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

to understand India's social and cultural realities. He emphasized the importance of Indian thinkers such as

Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yogi, maharishi, and Indian nationalist. He also edited the newspaper Bande Mataram (publication), ''Bande Mataram''. Aurobindo st ...

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindus, Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figu ...

, and

Raja Ram Mohan Roy Raja Ram Mohan Roy (22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833) was an Indian reformer and writer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha in 1828, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a socio-religious reform movement in the Indian subcontinent ...

for their focus on spiritual humanism and universal love. In 1951, he studied the Maler tribe, exploring their ecological practices and spiritual beliefs. He introduced the "Nature-Man-Spirit Complex," which highlights the interplay of nature, human activities, and spirituality. He also developed the concept of the Sacred Complex, analyzing sacred sites like Gaya through "sacred geography," "sacred performances," and "sacred specialists."

Books

* ''The Sacred Complex in Hindu Gaya'', 1961 * ''The Maler: The Nature-Man-Spirit Complex in a Hill Tribe'', 1963 * ''Art and Culture of North East India'', 1986 * ''Leadership in India'', 1967 * ''The Tribal Culture of India'', 2000 * ''Rural Development in South Asia'', 1982

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vidyarthi, L. P. 1931 births 1985 deaths 20th-century Indian anthropologists University of Lucknow alumni Patna University alumni Academic staff of Ranchi University People from Patna district