Raj Balkaran

Scholar of Sanskrit narrative texts

Oxford, UK

About Raj

Raj Balkaran is a scholar of Sanskrit narrative texts and teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and his own virtual School of Indian Wisdom. He has written extensively on Sanskrit literature and has a strong background in Indian philosophy and culture. Balkaran is known for his expertise in Sanskrit narrative texts and has published numerous papers on the subject. He is also a popular speaker and has given talks at various conferences and events.

Associated Podcasts

New Books in Indian Religions

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Recent Appearances

Russell T. McCutcheon, "Critics Not Caretakers: Redescribing the Public Study of Religion" (Routledge, 2023)

New Books in Indian Religions•Dec 29, 2025•48:19•guest

Steven W. Ramey, "Hinduism in Five Minutes" (Equinox, 2022)

New Books in Indian Religions•Nov 17, 2025•38:54•guest

Raj Balkaran

About Raj

Associated Podcasts

New Books in Indian Religions

Connect

Recent Appearances

Russell T. McCutcheon, "Critics Not Caretakers: Redescribing the Public Study of Religion" (Routledge, 2023)

Steven W. Ramey, "Hinduism in Five Minutes" (Equinox, 2022)

Key Topics

Karen Pechilis ed., "A Cultural History of Hinduism: Volumes 1-6" (Bloomsbury, 2024)

Bernardo Kastrup, "Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell: A Straightforward Summary of the 21st Century's Only Plausible Metaphysics" (Iff Books, 2024)

Kenneth R. Valpey, "Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019)

Vineeta Sinha. "Temple Tracks: Labour, Piety and Railway Construction in Asia" (Berghahn Books, 2023)

Vedic Texts, Indus Script, Aryan Migration

Raj Balkaran and McComas Taylor, "Visions and Revisions in Sanskrit Narrative: Studies in the Sanskrit Epics and Purāṇas" (ANU Press, 2023)

Episode 300: Christopher Miller interviews "New Books in Indian Religions" host Raj Balkaran

The Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik

Teaching (and Learning) at a University Online

Jain Studies and the Arihanta Institute

Christopher T. Fleming et al., "Science and Society in the Sanskrit World" (Brill, 2023)

Brenda E. F. Beck, "Hidden Paradigms: Comparing Epic Themes, Characters, and Plot Structures" (U Toronto Press, 2022)

Sangraha: Digital Cataloguing of Sanskrit Manuscripts

How Do We Know What We Know?: A Day School from Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

The Canadian South Asian Studies Association

Greg Bailey, "The Vinayaka Mahatmya" (Dev Publishers, 2023)

Padma Kaimal, "Opening Kailasanatha: The Temple in Kanchipuram Revealed in Time and Space" (U Washington Press, 2020)

Mani Rao, "Saundarya Lahari: Wave of Beauty" (HarperCollins, 2022)