Kāshi or Vārānasī is one of the oldest living cities in the world, For over 2,500 years this city has attracted pilgrims and seekers from all over India, renowned sages and householders, sanyasins and widows, bringht young students and the very old who have come to die there. It is the ultimate pilgrimage site for Hindus, with over three thousand temples. According to the Padma Purana "even during crores of kalpas, it would not be possible to describe the holy places situated in Vārāṇasī in detail".
In his Talk, "Kashi: India's Eternal City" Prof Rana P B Singh will describe the importance of Kashi in India's sacred geography, take us along some of the sacred routes followed by pilgrims in different contexts and highlight their symbolic meaning.
Do join us at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, February 4, 2023 for this event. The talk is in English.
About the Speaker:
Prof. Rana P.B. Singh, Ph.D. (BHU), FJF (Japan), FIRFS (Japan), FAAI (Italy), FACLA (Korea), ‘Ganga Ratna’ (GMS Ind), ‘Koshal Ratna’ (Koshal Ins.) is a former Professor of Cultural Landscapes and Heritage Studies at Banaras Hindu University (India).
For the last four decades, he has been studying and promoting cultural and sacred landscapes of Hindu and Buddhist sacred places, pilgrimages systems, and Hindu metaphysics. He has also done field studies in Japan, Sweden, Italy, Korea, and China, published thematic research, and lectured on these themes in almost all parts of the world. His publications include 42 books & anthologies and 340 papers.
He is the President of Asian Cultural Landscape Association (Korea-India-Italy-Japan); President (Asia)- RWYCReconnecting With Your Culture (-- a charter Euro-Comm. & member UNESCO, centres in 35 countries) and a Visiting Professor at the Centre of South Asian Studies, Gifu Women’s University, Japan.
