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{{Short description|Indian anthropologist (1931–1985)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = L. P. Vidyarthi
| image =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|02|28|df=y}}
| education = [[Lucknow University]]<br>
[[University of Chicago]] ([[PhD]])
| occupation = [[Anthropology|Anthropologist]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1985|12|01|1931|02|28|df=y}}
}}

'''Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi''' (28 February 1931 – 1 December 1985) was an Indian [[Anthropologist]] known for his work on the anthropology of religion and pioneering studies on the sacred complex in Indian society.

==Education==
Vidyarthi holds a master’s degree in [[anthropology]] from [[University of Lucknow|Lucknow University]], having studied under D. N. Majumdar. In 1958, he earned a Ph.D. from the [[University of Chicago]] under the supervision of [[Robert Redfield]] and [[McKim Marriott]]. His doctoral dissertation was titled ''The Sacred Complex of a Traditional City of Northern India''.<ref name="Indian Anthropologist2">{{cite journal |date=June 1987 |title=Obituary : Professor Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi (1930 - 1985) |journal=Indian Anthropologist |publisher=Indian Anthropological Association |volume=17 |issue=1 |jstor=41919557}} {{closed access}}</ref><ref name="Current Anthropology2">{{cite journal |date=December 1966 |title=Ph. D. Dissertations in Anthropology |journal=[[Current Anthropology]] |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |volume=7 |issue=5 |page=625 |jstor=2740146}} {{closed access}}</ref><ref name="Singer19862">{{cite journal |last=Singer |first=Milton |author-link=Milton Singer |date=1 July 1986 |title=Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi (Obituary) |journal=[[Contributions to Indian Sociology]] |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=302–304 |doi=10.1177/006996686020002011 |s2cid=145408576 |via=[[SAGE Publishing]]}} {{closed access}}</ref>

== Career ==
He began his academic career as a Professor at [[Ranchi College]] (then affiliated with [[Bihar University]]), serving there from 1953 to 1956. He later joined [[Ranchi University]] as a Professor of Anthropology, teaching from 1958 to 1968, and became the head of the Anthropology Department in 1968, a position he held until he died in 1985.<ref name="Indian Anthropologist2" />

== Death ==
Vidyarthi died on December 1, 1985.<ref name="Singer19862" />

== Works ==

Vidyarthi encouraged Indian social scientists to study scriptures like the [[Vedas]], [[Upanishads]], and [[Puranas]] to understand India's social and cultural realities. He emphasized the importance of Indian thinkers such as [[Sri Aurobindo]], [[Swami Vivekananda]], and [[Raja Ram Mohan Roy]] for their focus on spiritual humanism and universal love.

In 1951, he studied the [[Malto people|Maler tribe]], exploring their ecological practices and spiritual beliefs. He introduced the "Nature-Man-Spirit Complex," which highlights the interplay of nature, human activities, and spirituality. He also developed the concept of the [[Sacred complex|Sacred Complex]], analyzing sacred sites like [[Gaya (India)|Gaya]] through "sacred geography," "sacred performances," and "sacred specialists."

=== Books ===
* ''The Sacred Complex in Hindu Gaya'', 1961
* ''The Maler: The Nature-Man-Spirit Complex in a Hill Tribe'', 1963
* ''Art and Culture of North East India'', 1986
* ''Leadership in India'', 1967
* ''The Tribal Culture of India'', 2000
* ''Rural Development in South Asia'', 1982

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Gbooks-author|Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi}}
* {{Internet Archive author|sname=Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidyarthi, L. P.}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian anthropologists]]
[[Category:University of Lucknow alumni]]
[[Category:Patna University alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Ranchi University]]
[[Category:People from Patna district]]

L. P. Vidyarthi - Revision history

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