“India is regarded in Mongolia as a sacred geography and a ‘Spiritual Neighbor’”- Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

The two-day international conference titled ‘Cultural Interflow between India and Mongolia’, organized by the Department of Brihattar Bharat and Area Studies of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, to mark seventy years of diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia, was inaugurated at the Samvet Auditorium of IGNCA in New Delhi today.

A special exhibition showcasing visual representations of Mongolian culture was inaugurated on the occasion and is open to the public at IGNCA’s Darshanam Gallery until 25 February. The conference brings together 31 scholars from India, Mongolia, the United States of America, France, and other countries, with 75 research papers being presented over two days.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Guest Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stated that the conference reflects the shared spiritual and cultural traditions between India and Mongolia. He observed that exchanges between the two nations have extended beyond religion to fields such as astronomy, calendrical sciences, medicine, literature, and philosophy. Referring to the Mongolian Kangyur, he described it as a significant record of linguistic and philosophical scholarship and emphasized that its preservation and digitization strengthen civilizational dialogue and cultural diplomacy. He recalled the Prime Minister’s reference to India as a ‘spiritual neighbor’ during his 2015 visit to Mongolia and underlined that the conference marks seventy years of diplomatic relations and centuries of civilizational bonds.

Shri Vivek Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture stated that India and Mongolia are shaping a partnership grounded in shared civilizational memory and cultural kinship. He noted cooperation in strategic sectors, including the oil refinery project, defense, education, and manuscript preservation initiatives such as the dissemination of the Mongolian Kangyur. Under Project Mausam and Project Brihattar Bharat, efforts are being made to document and preserve shared intangible heritage for multinational recognition at UNESCO.

Ambassador Ganbold Dambajav described India as Mongolia’s spiritual neighbor and a key regional partner. He highlighted Buddhism as a central shared value and referred to the preservation and translation of classical Buddhist texts, including the Kangyur and Tengyur. He expressed appreciation for India’s support in their dissemination and noted the expanding partnership between the two countries.

The conference provides a platform for scholars to examine the historical, cultural, and spiritual ties between India and Mongolia, including archaeological links, religious and literary traditions, Sanskrit manuscripts in Mongolia, artistic exchanges, and shared material heritage.

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