Anna Tosato

After my MA (Cum Laude) in Asian Studies from the University of Venice “Ca’ Foscari”, I was the recipient of a five year research grant from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for graduate studies in Indology. The grant allowed me to spend five years in India as a research fellow at the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Mysore, and in 2015 I have obtained a Ph.D. in Ancient History and Archaeology with a dissertation on the relationship between dance and sculpture in South Indian temples. During my years in India, I have been conducting archeological fieldwork under the supervision of Dr. M. S. Nagaraja Rao (former director, Archaeological Survey of India) and I have been studying Sanskrit and the traditional texts on Indian arts under the guidance of eminent scholars (H. V. Nagaraja Rao and M. A. Lakshmithathachar). From August 2019, I am affiliated to the Department of Religion, UIUC, where I am currently the Bhagwan Munisuvrata Swami Post-doctoral Research Associate.