Davis' approach in Religions of Early India is chronological, ending in 700 CE, but his eight sequential chapters — such as "A New Urban Culture and Renunciatory Religion (600-300 BCE)" or "The Gupta Era: Religious Cultures of Court and Beyond (300-500 CE) — are interspersed with six thematic chapters — such as "Disciplinary Communities and Religious Quests" or "The Sanskrit Epics: Imagined Empires of the Hindus".

The focus shifts between particular communities or traditions, but takes a broad picture perspective, with particularly effective treatment of themes that run across different religious traditions. Religious practices and ideas are always presented within a historical framework, in their political and social contexts. At times Religions of Early India feels almost like a general history of ancient South Asia.

Davis draws on evidence from different sources, written and archaeological, with eight colour plates and a wealth of halftones helping the reader understand artefacts, sites and landscapes. And he sometimes digs down to look at these in detail: there are seven pages on the Vishnu Purana, for example, and six on the Great Stupa at Sanchi.

An explicit typology of ten kinds of "religious cultures" is only presented in an epilogue: sacrificial religion, renunciatory religion, disciplinary communities, imperial religion, missionary Buddhism, popular religion, theistic religion, visual religion, temple religion, and devotional religion.

An engaging read, Religions of Early India didn't feel like it was five hundred pages long. It is accessible without any background in Indian religion or history, and deserves an audience beyond area specialists.

January 2026

Related reviews:

- books about India + Indian history
- more ancient history
- books about religion
- books published by Princeton University Press