Meet the Team
Our team
The MANTRAMS Project is led by a distinguished team of principal investigators:
Borayin Larios: Assistant Professor for Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Vienna.
Carola Lorea: Junior Professor for Global Religion at the University of Tübingen
Finnian Gerety: Senior Research Fellow in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford
Additionally, Lead Researcher Andrea Acri from the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) also leader of his own ERC Consolidator MANTRATANTRAM project (“Monsoon Asia as the Nexus for the Transfer of Tantra along the Maritime routes”) and Senior Researcher Gudrun Bühnemann from the University of Wisconsin-Madison contribute their extensive expertise. Together, they aim to bridge gaps in understanding the complex phenomenon of mantras. In addition, an international team of collaborators based across the globe will contribute to the project’s interdisciplinary approach, providing diverse perspectives and insights into the global, historical, and cultural dimensions of mantras. This collaborative effort will enhance the project’s ability to produce a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of mantras, fostering a deeper understanding of their significance across different contexts and media.
University of Vienna - Task Force 3
Kanika Pruthi joins MANTRAMS as a predoctoral researcher, bringing extensive experience in art history, project management, and cultural research. She holds a Master’s degree in Art History from the National Museum Institute in New Delhi and a Graduate Diploma in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York. Her professional journey encompasses various roles in the art and culture sector, including project management, research, and archiving, with a specialization in South Asian art and cultural practices.
Kanika’s research for MANTRAMS focuses on the cult of Khandoba, a prominent religious tradition in Maharashtra. Her study investigates the rituals, objects, and practices associated with Khandoba, a deity revered by diverse communities across the region. She will closely investigate the use of amulets and talismans in the cult- with a special focus on their iconography, materiality and ritual usage. Her project aims to explore the continuity and change within the cult's practices, particularly in the context of globalization and evolving social identities. By employing interdisciplinary methodologies, Kanika will examine how mantras, oral traditions, and material culture shape the identity politics and social roles of the cult's devotees.
Through her research, Kanika seeks to uncover how the multifaceted nature of the Khandoba cult interacts with various cultural and religious landscapes. She will investigate the impact of rituals and festivals, such as Somvati Amavasya, Champa Shashti and jatras, on community dynamics and social cohesion. Kanika’s background in curatorial practice and her analytical skills will significantly contribute to understanding the interplay between visual culture and ritual practice in contemporary India.
Acharya Shri Sahon “Sahishnu” Bhattacharyya joins MANTRAMS as a predoctoral researcher, bringing a rich interdisciplinary background in cognitive science, philosophy, and anthropology. He holds a Master of Science in Cognitive Science (Philosophy and Neuroscience) from the University of Osnabrück, Germany, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Calcutta, India. He is traditionally trained in Hindu ritual as a purohita (priest) and is also a sadhaka (practitioner) of eastern Indian tantra traditions.
Sahishnu’s research for MANTRAMS will focus on the material dimensions of mantras in contemporary South Asian religious practices. His project aims to study how mantras are inscribed, produced, and used across various material mediums in everyday religious life. By combining ethnographic fieldwork, material observation, and comparative analysis, his research will explore mantras beyond their traditional oral and aural roles, examining their visible and tangible presence in everyday contexts.
Guiding this inquiry are questions about how mantras shape social, spatial, and political dynamics—such as their role in reinforcing affective and territorial belonging, contributing to social cohesion, and interacting with political actors. Sahishnu’s work also emphasizes the reflexive nature of his position as a Hindu scholar-practitioner and ritualist, which provides a unique lens to enrich the research through embodied ritual experience.
Prema Goet joins MANTRAMS as a predoctoral researcher, bringing a wealth of interdisciplinary expertise in South Asian Studies. He holds a Master’s degree in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where his thesis explored the themes of reality and magic in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Prema also holds a Bachelor of Arts in South Asian Studies and Sanskrit from SOAS, with a year of study in Pune, India. He has also engaged with these topics in relation to film, photography and media as well as in archival and curatorial work.
Prema Goet's research project, The Materiality of Mantra Technologies: Rethinking the Entextualized Body, examines the role of mantra practices and material culture across various forms within popular and Tantric-influenced ritual practices among contemporary Vaiṣṇava and Śākta practitioners in West Bengal and the Kathmandu Valley. Goet explores this topic through ethnographic research, textual studies, and cognitive theories on sensory and emotional experiences related to religion, self, and community. The project draws on the concept of the "Tantric body" being formed through a process of "entextualization" (Flood, 2006), where the practitioner's body is inscribed by the symbolic order of tradition and its core texts, transforming the body into a representation of that tradition. Goet aims to challenge conventional understandings of "text" and "body" by highlighting the broader material and sensory dimensions that shape affective experiences and meaning-making practices. A key part of his contribution to the MANTRAMS project is creating material for the audiovisual database, which will serve as a valuable resource for future research in the field of mantra studies.
Prema's extensive fieldwork experience in India and Nepal, along with his language proficiency in Sanskrit and Hindi will significantly enrich his contributions to the project.
Lea Stiller supports the MANTRAMS team in Vienna with project administration and management, helping to coordinate research activities, events, and deliverables. She plays a key role in organizing workshops, managing budgets, preparing reports, and assisting with outreach efforts. As a Master’s student in the Languages and Cultures of South Asia program, Lea's academic interest lies in the intersection of mantra and yoga. She combines her administrative expertise with a deep passion for the project’s themes, contributing to its success on both practical and intellectual levels.
