New Delhi: Fourteen talks and nine flights in three weeks, Sri Lankan art historian, archaeologist and numismatist Osmond Bopiarachi is a busy man. Last week, he was at the India International Center in Delhi, where he spoke about the voyages of sea traders and their role in furthering Buddhism in the ancient South Asian region. The audience – old and young – were fascinated.
In his 45-minute presentation, Bopiarachchi presented engraved stones, lithic remains, intricate sculptures, and artifacts excavated from shipwrecks, which served South Asia not only in the exchange of goods, but also as mediators of cultural interaction. illustrates the important role of sea merchants in
In addition to merchants, Buddhist monks and nuns, philosophers, artists, and diplomats also served as cultural intermediaries who traveled across merchant networks. “As a result, there was an exchange of not only goods but also philosophical ideas, thoughts and artistic traditions,” said Bopieracchi.
His lecture – Understanding Ancient Indian Ocean Trade through Buddhist Iconography – is the first in the South Asia Beyond Borders series co-organised by IIC and Ashoka University. The lecture aims to highlight new discoveries and methodologies that are emerging within the history and archeology of the field.
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Buddhism as a promoter of trade
During the lecture, idols from several South Asian countries were projected on the screen. The audience in the quiet lecture hall did not take their eyes off it as Bopiarachchi pointed out several minute similarities between sculptures found in Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia.
Some of the archaeological artifacts they presented include an antelope head, a sleeve of balloons worn as a cloth, a Sunsanian-type wine jar, and a hoard of coins, metals, ceramics, and seals. Through this, he took the audience on a journey that the traders of that time took. Bopiyarachchi concluded the show by saying that, “unlike Hinduism, Buddhism promoted business”.
“Buddhism promoted itself as a promoter of trade. Buddhist communities were also established around trade routes connecting important political and economic centres,” he explained.
He said that the Buddhists invited donations from wealthy merchants. The merchants also patronized the construction of monuments and spread Buddhism wherever they travelled. He explained how this symbiotic relationship developed between the two.
Former Foreign Secretary and IIC President Shyam Saran, who moderated the session, reminisced about his time in the region as a diplomat.
“This is a subject very close to my heart. During my diplomatic career, I served in Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, China and Japan. What really attracted me is that in all these countries you find India’s colors and resonance are visible.To understand India’s own history, we need to look at those aspects of our culture that are rooted in other countries.
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shared cultural heritage
According to session co-chair Upinder Singh, professor of history and dean of the Faculty of History at Ashoka University, the research on maritime merchants also shows how the region shared elements that today separate national boundaries from the diverse worlds. connect countries.
“His [Bopearachchi’s] The work reminds us that the continent has always been part of a great wealth of dialogue extending beyond the Hindukush and Kanyakumari,” said Singh
Bopieracchi is Director Emeritus of Research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS-ENS Paris), former Assistant Professor of Central and South Asian Art, Archeology and Numismatics, University of California, Berkeley and former Visiting Professor and Member, Doctoral School of the Paris-Sorbonne University.
Bopiyarachchi who has conducted excavations in 29 countries, published 16 books, 148 research papers and much more, has drawn parallels between the cave paintings in Sri Lanka, the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra and those found at Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh.
He said that these cultural and religious ties between Andhra Pradesh and Sri Lanka have brought the Buddhist communities closer.
“But what proof do you have that these sculptures are from India,” asked one of the audience members during a question and answer session.
Bopiyarachchi patiently explained that apart from stone type and iconographic similarity, there were very few sculptures in Sri Lanka, so most of these were exported from India at the time.
“But moving the heavy idols from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to Sri Lanka was not a painful task,” the same person followed.
“Sri Lanka exported elephants. 250 kg of food was also sent per elephant per day. So, they were able to carry the idols.”
(Editing by Therese Sudip)