A first of its kind online International exhibition deploying state of the art technologies like 3D scanning and virtual space utilisation to showcase a wealth of Buddhist art and antiquities displayed in various museums across Asia was opened by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu during the 19th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (SCO CHG) held here on Monday.
The exhibition is developed and curated by New Delhi-based National Museum in collaboration with SCO member countries and can be accessed at https://nmvirtual.in/ for worldwide viewing from the comfort of the home.
“The international exhibition gives a glimpse of the artistic wealth displayed in various museums across Asia, and represents the artistic excellence embedded within an eclectic historical timeline spanning across the development of different Schools of Buddhism, innovative curation and narration methodology etc,” an official from the Union Culture Ministry said.
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 and renowned archaeological sites of Uzbekistan.
The visitors can explore the Indian Buddhist treasures from the Gandharaand Mathura Schools, Nalanda, Amaravati, Sarnathetc. in a 3D virtual format while the Pakistan hall depicts the life of Gautama Buddha and Buddhist art through a collection of impressive Gandharaart objects from Karachi, Lahore, Taxila, Islamabad, SWAT and Peshawar museums. These include fasting Siddhartha and footprint of Buddha from Sikri, meditating Buddha from SahriBahloi, miracle of Sravasti from Gandhara etc.
Over 100 objects from State Oriental Art Museum, Moscow, depict the Buddhist Buriyat Art of Russia through icons, ritual objects, monastery traditions etc.
