In the Mahabharata, the Vrishnis were an important clan in which Bhagavan Vasudeva- Krishna was born along with his siblings Samkarshana-Balarama and Ekanamsa as well as other great warriors. The Bhagavata tradition is understood to have developed from the Vrishnis.
The spread of the Bhagavata doctrine in a vast area of ancient India and beyond is significant and provides important information about the development of the dharma not only in northern India but southern India as well.
In his Talk, "Vrishnis: Evidence of Bhagavata Tradition in Early Indian Art", Dr Vinay Kumar Gupta, Superintending Arcaheologist at ASI, Jaipur, examines the evolution of the Bhagavata tradition from the early images of Vasudeva and other Vrishnis that can be identified in rock and sculptural art.
Do join us at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, March 2, 2024 for this on-line talk in English.
About The Speaker:
Dr Vinay Kumar Gupta is Superintending Archaeologist, Jaipur Circle in the Archaeological Survey of India. He was earlier Assistant Professor in Dr HS Gour Central University, Sagar, M.P. His Ph.D. thesis was on “Braj: An Art and Archaeological Study – Based on Archaeological Explorations in the Region of Braj”. His areas of specialization and interest include north Indian archaeology and early Indian art and religious studies.
Dr Gupta has directed excavations at Bewan, a site dating back to the OCP-Ganeshwar culture period, Barnoli-ki-Dhai, a PGW site and co-directed excavations at Rakhigarhi. He has also participated in excavations at Khirasara, Bhiranna, Baror and Hansi. At present, he is conducting excavations at Bahaj, a proto / early historic site in the vicinity of sacred Govardhan hills, Mathura. During his posting in the Antiquities and Customs Section, he played an important role in retrieval of various Indian antiquities from foreign lands and in preventing illegal export of antiquities.
Dr Gupta has authored and edited half a dozen books and has published about fifty research papers. His major publications include “Mathura: An Art and Archaeological Study” and the write-ups of “Mathura” and “Vraja” in the Oxford Bibliographies on Hinduism.
