INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON JAIN HISTORY, ART & CULTURE
International Symposium on Jain History, Art and Culture
Museum of Asian Art, Corfu, Greece
17 – 18 November 2018
Jointly organized by:
The All India Digamber Jain Heritage Preservation Organisation, New Delhi, India
The Greek Chair at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
The Hellenic-Indian Society for Culture and Development (ELINEPA), Athens, Greece
The Museum of Asian Art in Corfu, Greece
Objectives
The main objectives of this symposium are to bring together top scholars of History, Art and Culture of Jainism from around the world and present their research, to exhibit the Jain art objects from the collection of the Corfu Museum of Asian Art, and to suggest future areas of fruitful research and co-operation in the field.
Program
Participating Scholars
Inauguration of the Symposium by H.E. the Ambassador of India to Greece MS. SHAMMA JAIN.
Greece
DR DIMITRIOS VASSILIADIS
Professor of Hindi and Sanskrit / National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
Spiritual Liberation in Ancient Greek and Jain Philosophy
MS. DESPOINA ZERNIOTI
Archaeologist – Director, Museum of Asian Art, Corfu
Jain Art in Greece: The Case of the Corfu Museum of Asian Art
DR APOSTOLOS MICHAILIDIS
Professor of Religion and Assistant Principal at Model Varvakeion High School
Voluntary Death: Eastern Orthodox Christian and Jain Perspectives
DR STYLIANOS PAPALEXANDROPOULOS
Professor of History of Religions / National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
Supporting the Truth by Science: The Case of Jainism
DR MARIANNA BENETATOU
Editor, Greek Philosophical Society
The Atomist Theory of Jainism and Democritus: Historical and Philosophical Convergence
DR NIKI PAPAGEORGIOU
Associate Professor of Sociology of Religion / Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Women’s Issues in Contemporary Jainism
MS. KASSIANI KAGOURIDI
Archaeologist – Head of the Department of Museum Collection
Jain Art in Greece: The Case of the Corfu Museum of Asian Ar
MS. MARI SIAMPANI
Architect at Siampani Architects
Jain Temple Architecture
MR. KOSTANTINOS KALAITZIS
Musician, Researcher / Hellenic-Indian Society for Culture and Development (ELINEPA), Athens
Jain Music
India
MR. NIRMAL KUMAR JAIN SETHI
National President, All India Digamber Jain Heritage Preservation Organisation, New Delhi, India
Intoduction to Jainism
DR JAGAT RAM BHATTACHARYYA
Professor of Sanskrit, Pali & Prakrit / Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan
Jain Ethics and Modern Reference
DR BHAGCHANDRA BHASKAR JAIN
Professor & Head of Jain Philosophy / JRRS University, Jaipur
Jainism in Ancient Greece
DR LAXMI CHANDRA JAIN
Former Professor of Physics / Jabalpur University
Modern Science and Jain Philosophy
DR SNEH RANI JAIN
Retired Reader of Sciences and Indology / Sagar University, M.P.
Violence in India and Greece
DR ANIL KUMAR SINGH
Assistant Professor of Greek Studies / Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Jain Religion in the Context of Graeco-Indian Studies
DR BRIJESH CHANDRA RAWAT
Assistant Professor of Ancient Indian History / Dr. Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University, Lucknow
Tirthankara Nemi: History And Tradition
DR SHRIKANT DWIVEDI
Professor of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology / Jiwaji University, Gwalior (M.P)
Institutionalization of Jainism as a Stratified Organization in
Early Medieval Period in the Gopadri Region
DR. VASANT SHIVRAM SHINDE
Vice – Chancellor / Deccan College, Pune
Ancient India’s Contribution to World History
MS. JAYAVIJAYAN NEELAKESI
Research Scholar in Jainology, University of Madras
Fine Arts in Jain Temples in Tamil Nadu
Mr. RISHABΗ JAIN
Vice President – International Relations, All India Digamber Jain HeritagePreservation Organisation
Photo Exhibition on Jainism
Pakistan
DR MUHAMMAD IQBAL CHAWLA
Proffesor and Dean, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Chairman (History/Archaeology) University of Punjab, Lahore
Status of Religious Minorities in Pakistan: Refocusing on the Jaina Community
DR MUHAMMAD HAMEED
In charge of Department of Archaeology in the University of Punjab, Lahore
Exploration and Documentation of Jain Archaeology, Art and Architecture in Pakistan and Role of Department of Archaeology University of the Punjab
Germany
MR. AJIT BENADI
President Jain Association, Germany
Jaimism the Oldest Living Religion
Exhibition
The Jain and Indian artefacts of the Museum of Asian Art will be exhibited during both days of the conference. A photo exhibition will be organized by the All India Digamber Jain Heritage Preservation Organisation and a documentary on Jainism will be screened.
Description of the theme
From the point of view of the world population statistics there are less than ten Jains among one thousand people, but in the history of world religions, Jaina dharma occupies a distinctive place, because of its significant contribution to the Indian philosophy and ethics and its superb art and architecture. Innumerable Jaina images made of stone, metal, including gold, silver and bronze, wood, terracotta and even precious stones are available in India and abroad. Archaeologists have noticed a remarkable resemblance between the earliest images of Rsabha and the figures of standing or seated nude yogis found inscribed on some terracotta seals and relics of the prehistoric Indus Valley civilisation, discovered at Mohenjo Daro, as well as the nude Harappan red-stone statuette, almost equally old. Antiquities & Art monuments help us in getting a better understanding of the Jain history and development.
Jainism is one of the world’s oldest and at the same time least understood faiths. The historicity of the Jaina tradition is amply borne out by the social tradition, literary and archaeological evidences. Yajurveda mentions of Rsabha Deva who is regarded by the Jains as the founder of Jainism. After Lord Rsabha, the first Tirthankara, there was a succession of 23 other Tirthankars, who came one after the other at intervals varying in duration up to the historical era of the last Tirthankara Mahavira (6th century BC). The doctrinal basis of Jainism comprises metaphysics and ontology, cosmology and cosmography, theology and mythology, epistemology and psychology, logic and dialectics, ethics and ritual, in short all that goes to make a well-developed comprehensive philosophical and religious system. Jaina metaphysics starts with the scientific axiom that “nothing is destructible,” that is, the cosmos is uncreated and real by virtue of its being existential and is, therefore, eternal, everlasting, without a beginning and without an end, being everlasting and eternal, and that the wheel of time incessantly revolves like a pendulum in half circles from the descending to the ascending stage.
The sanskrit word ‘Jaina’ derives from jina, ie. ‘conqueror’, an epithet given to a line of teachers who, having overcome the passions and obtained enlightenment, teach the true doctrine of non-violence and subsequently attain the freedom from rebirth which constitutes spiritual deliverance according to their teaching of the ‘Three Jewels,’ namely, right knowledge, right faith and right conduct. The Jain tradition which enthroned the philosophy of ecological harmony and non-violence has formed a vital part of the mainstream of ancient Indian life and contributed greatly to the philosophical, artistic and political heritage. The fundamental teachings of Jainism offer the world today a time- tested anchor of moral imperatives and a viable route plan for humanity’s common pilgrimage for holistic environmental protection, peace and harmony in the world.
Greeks were aware of the Jains since antiquity. Herodotus speaks of Indian ascetics who were vegetarian and welcomed death. Democtritus traveled to India, met with Indian gymnosophists before developing his atomic theory, Alexander the Great had long discussions with the Indian gymnosophists, and his succesor Seleukus gave his daughter Helen for marriage to the Jain Emberor Chandragupta Mautya. The rest of the Europeans seem to have become aware of the Jains since the beginning of the sixteenth century, albeit describing them as merchants, frequently referring to non-violence, vegetarianism and ascetic practice. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of Modern India, based his life on the Jain principle of non-violence (ahimsa) and his birthday on 2nd October is celebrated as Non-violence Day all over the world as decided by the United Nations.
Chairman
Prof. of Hindi and Sanskrit, National & Kapodistian University of Athens
President, Hellenic-Indian Society for Culture & Development (ELINEPA), Athens
Director, Athens Center for Indian and Indo-Hellenic Studies
Registration and further information for the Conference
Mr. Rishabh Jain
Vice President – International Relations
All India Digamber Jain Heritage Preservation Organisation
E-mail: jain@elinepa.org
Information and coordination for the exhibition
Ms Kassiani Kagouridi
Head of the Department of Museum Collections
Museum of Asian Art, Corfu
Tel. 26610.27925
E-mail: kkagkouridi@culture.gr
