Sanskrit Inscriptions and Manuscripts: Rare Documents of Cultural Linkages
Speaker: Prof. Shashibala, Dean, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s K.M. Munshi Centre for Indology
Chair: Prof. Mahesh Deokar, Dept. of Sanskrit & Prakrit, Savithribai Phule University, Pune
Sanskrit manuscripts and inscriptions preserved in several Asian countries are important documents containing ample information about two millennia of cultural sharing with Asian lands. Whatever was carried by the sage and savants was translated, commented on, and used for the formation and consolidation of the state and the welfare of the masses. Sanskrit served to legitimize royalty, sanctify lands, set high standards of literary production, and established moral, social and political value systems. It was the language of rituals to win wars or invoke rain, and contributed to the advancement of medical science, and of spiritual and meditational practices to uplift consciousness.
Prof. Shashibala has 25 publications and 110 research papers on India’s cultural contribution to the world. She has documented relics of cultural linkages with India during her travels outside the country, and worked as Guest Professor in several universities abroad. She is recipient of the Highest Civilian Award conferred by the President of Mongolia. Her website is www.shashibala.org
Sixth in a new series of lectures organised by IIC-International Research Division with the support of Ministry of External Affairs
