The Vice President of India recently inaugurated the first-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage. This significant event took place during the 19th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government, held in New Delhi.
SCO Online International Exhibition: An Overview
This pioneering online exhibition was conceived and organized by the National Museum, New Delhi, in collaboration with various SCO member countries. The participants included museums from India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The Significance of the Exhibition
This exhibition served as a platform for revealing the interconnectivity of SCO countries through the philosophy and art of Buddhism that’s prevalent across Central Asia. Through the online exhibition, spectators could access, appreciate, and compare various Buddhist art antiquities.
Shedding Light on Different Schools of Buddhism
Visitors had the opportunity to explore Indian Buddhist treasures from eminent schools such as Gandhara, Mathura, Nalanda, Amaravati, Sarnath, among others, in a 3D virtual format.
Artistic Wealth and Excellence
The international exhibition afforded glimpses of artistic wealth and excellence that are displayed across various museums in Asia. It encapsulated the eclectic historical timeline within an artistic framework.
Exhibition Highlights
Different halls of the exhibition portrayed different facets of Buddhist art and culture. For instance, the Pakistan Hall showcased the life of Gautama Buddha and Buddhist art through an impressive collection of Gandhara art objects. Similarly, Moscow’s State Oriental Art Museum contributed artifacts demonstrating the Buddhist Buriyat Art of Russia. Meanwhile, the Dunhuang Academy of China offered a rich digital collection on Buddhist art, including ingenious architecture, resplendent murals, decorative designs, and costumes.
India’s Stand on Terrorism
During the meeting, India raised its concerns regarding terrorism, especially state-sponsored and cross-border terrorism, terming it as a ‘menace to humanity’. It vocalized its support for the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy and called on SCO members to address the issue collectively. Besides, it criticized Pakistan for exploiting terrorism as a state policy.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: A Brief
The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organization and a Eurasian political, economic, and military entity set up in 2001. It strives for maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region. Often regarded as the “Alliance of the East”, the SCO holds immense importance in the Asia-Pacific because of its central role. It is the largest regional organisation globally, in terms of geographical area and population, encompassing three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and almost half of the global population.
Source:PIB
