TALK "The Buddhist Cultural Landscape of Mustang in Nepal" by Susanne Von Der Heide at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), 11, Mansingh Road > 3:30pm on 7th March 2017

Time : 3:30 pm Add to Calendar 07/03/2017 15:30 07/03/2017 17:00 Asia/Kolkata TALK "The Buddhist Cultural Landscape of Mustang in Nepal" by Susanne Von Der Heide Event Page : http://www.delhievents.com/2017/03/talk-buddhist-cultural-landscape-of.html Lecture Room, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi - 110001 DD/MM/YYYY

Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served Basis)

Venue : Lecture Room, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi - 110001
Venue Info : Events | About | Map
Metro : Nearest Metro Station - 'Central Sectt.' (Yellow Line and Violet Line) Gate No. 2
Landmark : Entry Gate of IGNCA from Mansingh Road is opposite Raksha Bhavan

Event Description : TALK "The Buddhist Cultural Landscape of Mustang in Nepal" by Susanne Von Der Heide

Prof. Lokesh Chandra prominent scholar of the Vedic Period,Buddhism and the Indian arts and President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is going to chair the session.

About speaker: Prof. Susanne von der Heide, UNESCO Chair World Heritage Studies, Berlin, Germany, is a Cultural Scientist and Conservation Specialist, Director of HimalAsia Foundation, Nepal, a cultural anthropologist, was a Professor of Cultural management and heritage sites. She studied Tibetan Buddhism and Art History of the Himalayas with Ven.Tulku Dzongsar Ngari Thingo Rinpoche in Paris, was a Curator for Education at the Museum of East Asian Art and at the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum Cologne, Germany. She undertook a large number of restoration projects, documentation, festivals, exhibitions conferences, editor of the series of UNESCO world heritage sites, adviser to the Mayor of Kathmandu for developing a structural programme for the cultural heritage sector of the Municipality. She is author and director of several Buddhist films and has won a number of awards. On the basis of her explorations she will present a paper on Atisa's Stay in Mustang and his Connections with Lama mentsun.

Brief Introduction of the Lecture

On a high-lying plateau, hemmed in by a chain of mountains, some 6000 m tall, lies the former small kingdom of Upper Mustang. Legends and myths swirl about Mustang, which is also called the kingdom of Lo. Up to May 1992 this 'forbidden' kingdom was completely inaccessible. With few exceptions, foreigners were not allowed to enter it, and until today only a restricted number of tourists are visiting this area per year.

As recent research has proven, the old trade path through Mustang is also one of the famous ancient passages linking the Gangetic plains with Western Tibet and the Silk Road. In 2008 Lo Manthang, the old capital of the former kingdom, with its medieval palace and famous, Buddhist monasteries from the 15th and 18th century was insribed onto the tentative World Heritage List of Nepal. With this move the uniqueness and general value of that ancient heritage site has been recognized officially. Upper Mustang has become one of the last areas in the world were a specific Buddhist culture is preserved until today. The inscription on the tentative list of World Heritage Sites for Nepal is taking this into account.

The lecture aims to contribute to a better understanding of Upper Mustang in a rapidly changing world, and to assess the outstanding cultural, natural and spiritual values of the city of Lo Manthang and the cultural landscape surrounding it. This is in particular relevant, since the construction of a road through Upper Mustang has been completed, which will have a considerable impact on the protection of this ancient landscape and causing enormous cultural changes. Moreover, recent climate changes are as well a great challenge for this area, with water resources getting rare, forcing local people to migrate or re-settle in other areas of Mustang.

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