Exhibition opened in Delhi to mark 7 decades of India-Mongolia diplomatic ties

New Delhi, Feb 19 (PTI) A special exhibition showcasing visual representations of the Mongolian culture has been opened here to mark over 70 years of the diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia, culture ministry officials said on Thursday.
     The second of a two-day conference was also held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) to mark the occasion.
     At the opening event, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the conference reflects the shared spiritual and cultural traditions between India and Mongolia.
     The exhibition will be on display till February 25, officials said.
     Shekhawat said exchanges between the two nations have extended beyond religion to fields such as astronomy, calendrical sciences, medicine, literature, and philosophy.
     He also referred to the Mongolian Kanjur, the Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes, considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia.
     In Mongolian language, Kanjur means 'Concise Orders' -- the words of Lord Buddha in particular. It is held in high esteem by Mongolian Buddhists, and they worship the Kanjur at temples and recite its lines as a sacred ritual.
     The culture minister described Mongolian Kanjur as a "significant record of linguistic and philosophical scholarship" and emphasised its preservation and digitisation would strengthen civilisational dialogue and cultural diplomacy.
     Ganbold Dambajav, the Ambassador of Mongolia to India, described India as Mongolia's spiritual neighbour and a key regional partner.
     He highlighted Buddhism as a central shared value and referred to the preservation and translation of classical Buddhist texts.
     The conference provided 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, the ministry said.
     The event brought together many scholars from India, Mongolia, France, and the US with 75 research papers being presented over two days.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)