The present volume is an eclectic collection of articles written over a period of almost twenty years, dealing with a religious institution that is unique to Indian culture. The period of history surveyed in the volume covers over two millennia of cultural growth and development and broadly spans the Vedic, post-Vedic, and the Gupta / post-Gupta periods. This volume will be of paramount interest to scholars of ancient and medieval Indian history, kingship and religion in south Asia.