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A Colonial Legacy: The Unethical Sale of Sacred Relics
Saudiptendu Ray, Research Associate, VIF Article

On 5th May, 2025, the Ministry of Culture under the Government of India issued a legal notice to Sotheby’s and Mr. Chris Peppé demanding the immediate halt of the auction titled "The Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha, Mauryan Empire, Ashok....

June 06, 2025 Historical and Civilisational Studies , Article , Buddhism , Repatriation , Relics of Lord Buddha , Sotheby’s , Piprahwa Gems , Mauryan Empire , William Claxton Peppé , British colonial loot
Culture and Civilisational Digest : May-2025

Over two lakh people visit holy Buddha relic exposition in Vietnam- The Statesman
The exposition of the Holy Buddha Relics drew lakhs of devotees, with people lining up from early morning to pay homage. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju led a h....

June 06, 2025 Vietnam , Buddhism , Archaeological Survey of India , Culture And Civilisation , Keeladi , Iron Age , Holy Buddha Relics , Lower Palaeolithic Age , Sotheby’s , Buddha’s Relics , Piprahwa Gems , Satavahana , Neolithic , INSV Kaundinya , Living Root Bridges. UNESCO World Heritage Site , Sunderbans.
Culture and Civilisational Digest: March-2025

India adds Telangana’s megalithic menhirs to tentative UNESCO list- Deccan Chronicle
The Central government has added Telangana’s 3,000-year-old megalithic menhirs site at Mudumal village in Narayanpet to a tentative list from India s....

April 09, 2025 Buddhism , UNESCO World Heritage site , Archaeological Survey of India , Culture And Civilisation , Dholavira , International Buddhist Confederation , Gorsam Kora Festival , Agroha , Parihaspora , Lalitaditya Muktapida , Dwarka Excavation.
Culture and Civilisational Digest: February- 2025

ASI team in Vadnagar to assess 2,000-yr-old wall- The Times of India
A high-level team consisting of Dr Y S Rawat, director general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the ADG of conservation from ASI, and Prof Arun Menon from II....

March 17, 2025 Buddhism , Samvad , Nalanda , Archaeological Survey of India , Culture And Civilisation , - Vadnagar , Iron Age , Maha Kumbh , Ekushe February , International Mother Language Day , Jhumur , Dharma-Dhamma , Dwarka Excavation , Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj , Ratnagiri
The Asian Century of Dharma - Dhamma; Call for Universal Responsibility and Interdependent Sustainability
Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF Commentary

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in collaboration with Bodhigayavijalaya 980 Institute (BGVI) & Bharat Studies Centre, Mahachulalongkornrajyavidyalaya University (MCU), International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), India & Japan Foundatio....

March 06, 2025 Historical and Civilisational Studies , Commentary , India , Buddhism , Thailand , Samvad , dharma , Hinduism , Bodh Gaya , Dhamma , Hindu Buddhist , Krabi
Developments in India in the Field of Culture in 2024
Saudiptendu Ray, Research Associate, VIF Article

India witnessed several major developments in the field of culture in the year 2024. Major discoveries were made through archaeological excavations in different parts of India. Several ongoing research works in the field of archaeology are on the pre....

January 16, 2025 Historical and Civilisational Studies , Article , Ayodhya , Ram Mandir , Buddhism , UNESCO World Heritage site , Nalanda , Archaeological Survey of India , Rakhigarhi , Keeladi , Ahom Dynasty , Relics of Lord Buddha , Charaideo Moidams , Repatriation of Cultural Property
Reflections
S Gurumurthy, Chairman, VIF Commentary

Left Historians were noseled by Karl Marx and Max Weber who influenced 20th Century Indian intellectualism, academics and historians. Karl Marx two articles in New York Harold Tribune in 1854 and Max Webers religion of Hinduism & Buddhism were their ....

December 30, 2024 Historical and Civilisational Studies , Commentary , Buddhism , Hinduism , Indian society , Indian civilisations , karma , Karl Marx , Max Webers
Vimarsh - The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World by William Dalrymple

On November 25, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized a Vimarsh on the book ‘The Golden Road: How Ancient India transformed the world' by Mr. William Dalrymple, a renowned historian, writer, broadcaster, curator and journalist. H....

December 05, 2024 Vimarsh , Historical and Civilisational Studies , Buddhism , Silk Road , Nalanda , Sanskrit , The Golden Road , William Dalrymple
Relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism

On July 23, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized a talk on ‘‘Relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism” by Prof. Arvind Sharma, Birks Professor of Comparative Religion in the School of Religious Studies at McGill Uni....

August 08, 2024 Historical and Civilisational Studies , Interaction , Buddhism , Hinduism , Upanishads , Hindu Buddhist Initiative
Cultural and Civilisational Digest: July-2024

Potsherds adorned with fish motifs; copper objects excavated from Tamil Nadu's Keeladi- Deccan Herald
In the previous week, archaeologists unearthed a potsherd with the Tamil letter 'Tha' inscribed on it from Keeladi, a Sangam-era urban s....

August 02, 2024 Buddhism , Cultural Heritage , UNESCO World Heritage site , Culture And Civilisation , Keeladi , Sangam-era , Vat Phou temple , Mysuru Literature Festival , Jagannath Rath Yatra , World Heritage Committee , Charaideo Maidam , Kargil Vijay Diwas , Ayodhya and Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
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