Conserving a Sacred Site: Changing Re-Presentations of Bhīmā Devī Temple

ABSTRACT This paper attempts on writing a biography of a temple site in Haryana, Northern India. The site in discussion is popularly known as Bhima Devi Temple site. The original temple was constructed in Early Medieval times and has been recently renovated by the State Government by integrating surviving architectural remnants of the Brāhmaṇic temple. The intention of the paper is not only to follow the archaeological history since ancient times but also to visualize it in modern context especially from the perception of locals among whom the reminiscences of this local deity still lives through oral traditions and ritual performances.