Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1976-2009 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
3 folders
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Christopher John Fuller is an emeritus professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics and a Fellow of the British Academy. In 1976, Fuller started conducting field research in the great temple of Madurai in Tamilnadu, southeast India, which is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Minakshi and her husband Sundareshwara (Shiva). Fuller has also researched and written extensively on popular Hinduism and Hindu nationalism, the caste system, the Tamil Brahmans, the history of Indian anthropology, and other topics.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
These papers were donated by Christopher Fuller in 2026.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The papers contain administrative and research materials relating to Hindu temples and priests, compiled or collected by Christopher Fuller during his research trips to Madurai and more widely in Tamil Nadu from the 1970s to the 1990s. There is also a small amount of published articles relating to the same.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Please contact the Archivist.
Conditions governing reproduction
Digital photography (without flash) for research purposes may be permitted upon completion of a copyright declaration form, and with respect to current UK copyright law.
Language of material
English
Tamil
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
These documents are part of a larger donation by Christopher Fuller which contained over 300 photographs primarily depicting the Minakshi-Sundareshwara temple and its priests. The photographs have been catalogued separately as Photo.91 in the Library catalogue: https://ras.koha-ptfs.co.uk/
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
These papers were catalogued by James Liu, RAS Archivist, in 2026, largely based on the descriptions supplied by Christopher Fuller.