Religious Ecology of Vṛndāvana

Abstract

Carney offers an ethnographic and theological study of Vṛndāvana, India’s sacred heartland of Kṛṣṇa bhakti. He addresses the region’s acute ecological degradation—particularly the Yamunā River crisis—and frames solutions through the revitalization of religious ritual, narrative, and visual imagery. Carney suggests that sustainable change in Vṛndāvana must arise from within its Vaishnava traditions, integrating environmental activism with theological restoration.