This study explores how the sacred landscape was variously defined, demarcated, and appropriated in ancient and early medieval South India. Focusing in particular on the site of Banavasi in the modern state of Karnataka, I examine archaeological and epigraphic evidence to parse out some of the spatial and temporal patterns in the interaction between a surprising diversity of religious traditions and practices. While the close connection between local elite authority and traditional religious institutions such as Buddhism and Hinduism is apparent in Banavasi, the spatial and temporal organization of the landscape reflects several larger processes of interaction. These include the legitimization of local and regional elites, as well as more complex processes of interaction, competition, and replacement between religions. In addition, while stupas and temples are clearly recognizable elements of the archaeological record in South Asia, there is also considerable evidence for local cults and religious traditions, such asnaga(snake) stones and various forms of commemoration. At times, these were appropriated within the larger religious traditions, and at other times remained separate and distinct entities in their own right. The persistence and longevity of these local traditions ensured that they occupied an important space in the sacred landscape of Banavasi. This article presents a case study that illustrates the complex and overlapping patterns of replacement, competition, appropriation, and abandonment that constitute historical sacred landscapes in ancient and medieval South India. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]