Pre LokManthan Paricharcha: National Seminar on Sacred Geographies and the Cultural Heritage of Bharat
A Pre LokManthan Paricharcha envisioning to imbibe the consciousness to read, learn and acknowledge the rich cultural heritage of our country and relish the fate of being “Bhartiya” was organized by Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi and Prajna Pravah, Delhi Prant in collaboration with ICSSR-NRC in one day National Seminar on “Sacred Geographies: Contextualizing Landscape of Faith in Bharat”.
In the inaugural session, the Chair Prof. Sri Prakash Singh, Director of South Campus, University of Delhi and Pramukh Sanyojak, Delhi Prant, Prajna Pravah emphasized the essence of Bharat as a mosaic of collections of religious, cultural and physical meanings ascribed to geographical components through collective memory, planted on the ground in active engagement with communities over generations. The rich cultural traditions inherent in day-to-day practices as part of the socio-cultural-ecological connection and oneness of nature and mankind as the foundation of the Bhartiya value system was emphasized by Vice Principal, Prof. Navneet Manav, Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi.
The keynote speaker Prof. Rana P B Singh (Retd.) Banaras Hindu University delve upon the deeper sense of geographic concerns investigating the inherent power of sacred places by searching the cosmic geometries embedded in ritual landscapes and the spatial orientations towards astronomical phenomena. He reinstated the invention of these ideas in the past by great Indian sages explained metaphysically and exemplified by archetypal notions. Moving ahead to unveil the notion of sacred places from the perspective of manifestation of dharma consciousness the two plenary session focus on the idea of sacredness in both form and formless practices. The realm of sacred sanctuaries (Jyotirlinga and Shakti Pithas) in Uttarakhand and their localized practices were beautifully presented by Prof. V P Sati, University of Mizoram.
The contextualization of sacredness in the form of mental constructs, monumental repositories and its physical existence in Sikh religion was delved by Prof. Ravinder Singh, University of Delhi. The notion of sacred space from the perspective of both practice and theoretical analysis was done by Kaustaubh N Mishra ji, BHU. The rich legacy of inherent understanding of the oneness of physical and spiritual connection is evident in historical layers of cultural manifestation, which are well interwoven with the tangible and intangible resources on the landscape of faith in Bharat, asthe discussed by Praful Ketkar ji. The overarching critical framework of inquiry in a contemporary and methodological perspective about women in Dharmashastra and the need to investigate the practices and actions critically was emphasized by the keynote speaker of valedictory session Prof. Chandrakala Padia, BHU.
This paricharcha, coordinated by convener Dr. Swati Thakur and co-convener Dr. Deepak Bagri, Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi, is a novel attempt to broaden the outreach and decimate the idea of Bharat's oneness and acknowledge the cultural connect of the landscapes in the realm of cultural manifestations, spiritual democracy, socio-economic transits, and faithscape in relation to the community.
