SCO Online International Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage | UPSC

• The first ever SCO Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage was launched during the 19th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (SCO CHG).

DEVELOPERS AND CURATORS

• The international exhibition is in active collaboration with SCO member countries.

FEATURES

• Visitors can take a virtual tour of art from SCO countries on a single platform and from the comfort of their home.

SIGNIFICANCE

• Buddhist philosophy and art of Central Asia connects Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries to each other.
• This online international exhibition presents an excellent opportunity for visitors to access, appreciate and compare Buddhist art antiquities.

• The international exhibition gives a glimpse of the artistic wealth displayed in various museums across Asia.
• It represents the artistic excellence embedded within an eclectic historical timeline spanning across the development of different Schools of Buddhism.

PARTICIPANTS

The participating institutions are

• National Museum (New Delhi)
• Indian Museum (Kolkata)
• National Museum of Kazakhstan
• Dun Huang Academy (China)
• National Historical Museum of the Kyrgyz Republic
• Museums of Pakistan
• State Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow (Russia)
• National Museum and National Museum of Antiquities Tajikistan
• Renowned archaeological sites of Uzbekistan.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM MUSEUM HALL

• The Pakistan hall depicts the life of Gautama Buddha and Buddhist Art through a collection of impressive Gandhara art objects from Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar museums.

• Over 100 objects from State Oriental Art Museum, Moscow, depict the Buddhist Buriyat Art of Russia through icons, ritual objects, monastery traditions etc.
• The Dunhuang Academy of China contributed a rich digital collection on Buddhist Art from Dunhunag .
• It includes ingenious architecture, resplendent murals, decorative designs, costumes etc.

• The exhibition also showcases rare Buddhist art objects from various heritage sites and museums of Kazakhstan and Kyrygstan.

• National Museum, New Delhi has unfolded a new dimension in museum experiences by developing this online 3D virtual exhibition.
• The Prime Minister of India, in his Maan Ki Baat has lauded National Museum, New Delhi for its innovative efforts of using technology in cultural sector.

NATIONAL MUSEUM- NEW DELHI

• It is under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India.

COLLECTIONS

• Established in 1949, the museum boasts of possessing a whopping 206,000 artworks, both Indian and foreign origin.

EXTENSIVE RANGE

• It traces the rich cultural heritage of not only India but nations across the world, from over 5000 years ago.

ARTEFACTS

• The two-storeyed museum building has earmarked halls to display antiques of different periods and genres.

• It also has wide collection of Epigraphy, Central Asian Antiquities, Anthropology, Pre-Columbian American and Western Art .
• The museum is an unparalleled blend of the glorious past and the wondrous present.

STATE OF ART TECHNOLOGY

• National Museum, New Delhi has always been at the forefront of adoption of State of the Art Technology in the museum sector.

• The museum has also digitized many of its objects for wider access.
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