Meet the Winners of the 2019 Global Medieval Studies Travel Award!

The Global Medieval Studies Program is Proud to announce Rachel Singer and Wini Dandu as the recipients of the 2019 Travel Awards. 

Rachel Singer (COL’22)

During the summer of 2019, Rachel Singer will use her MVST travel grant to study Latin in Wells, England through a program sponsored by the Classical Foundation. 

Wini Dandu (MSB’19)

During the summer of 2019, Wini Dandu will use her MVST travel grant to pursue a two-week independent study of medieval temples in India. Through her trip, she hopes to explore the relationship between sacred and sensual themes in medieval Indian temple art that ranges from simple motifs to erotic sculptures. When asked why medieval temples, she says: 

“Since I was a child, I was fascinated with medieval temples. They dazzled me with their beautiful and ornate exteriors and confused me to no end. The walls of these temples were unlike any other houses of worship I had seen, filled with copulating couples, animals, flowers, dancers, and so much more. They seemed to be places where unabashed sensuality was wholeheartedly embraced by the spiritual. At the Chennakeshava Temple, my family and I would happily pass by (even admire!) sculptures of sensuous couples, while we walked inside to pray to Lord Vishnu. Why were we so at ease with such sensuality inside these temples but so uncomfortable outside?”

Tentative itinerary includes temples in Odisha, Ellora-Ajanta Caves, and Dilwara Temples.