'Responsa in Hindu Law' by Prof. Donald R. Davis Jr.

Traditions of responsa, formal and informal legal inquiry and response, are well known in traditions of religious law. However, no scholarship at all exists on the practical use of responsa in Hindu law, both in its classical and modern forms. This presentation will explore the historical evidence for responsa in Hindu law and argue that practices of legal consultation were in fact as important in the Hindu legal tradition as they were in other religious laws.