Buddhism
A Colonial Legacy: The Unethical Sale of Sacred Relics

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....

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....

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....

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....

The Asian Century of Dharma - Dhamma; Call for Universal Responsibility and Interdependent Sustainability

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....

Developments in India in the Field of Culture in 2024

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....

Reflections

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 ....

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....

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....

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....

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