Biggest-ever exhibition on Indian Buddhist art opens China

A two-month exhibition in China on the evolution of Indian Buddhist art was today inaugurated at the Shanghai Museum here, which has on display some of the rarest manuscripts and paintings dating back several centuries.
Titled 'Indian Buddhist Art', the exhibition is part of the year-long 'Glimpses of India' celebrations, organised by the government to promote cultural ties between the two countries.
"Among the over 90 exhibits are rare paintings, thangkas, sculptures, manuscripts, 'tamra patras' and other valuable art work of historical value which trace the evolution of Buddhist art in India," Counsel, Culture at the Indian Consulate in Shanghai, Vijay Bhatia told PTI here.

The exhibition has been organised by the Indian Ministry of Culture in association with the Indian Embassy in Beijing and the Consulate in Shanghai. It has been curated by experts from the Indian Museum and also has contributions from other noted museums of India.
Speaking of the scale, Bhatia said, "It is unprecedented and possibly one of the largest-ever exhibitions on Buddhist art held in China".
The exhibition was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador to China, Ashok Kantha. It will end in February after which it would travel to Tokyo, Bhatia said.

The year 2014 has been designated as the 'Year of Friendly Exchange' between the two countries and several programmes have been organised in China as part of the 'Glimpses of India' celebrations, under it.

"The 'Glimpses of India' began in May and so far we have covered over 14 cities in China. Under the programme we organised film festivals, cultural performances by artists as part of our efforts to further take forward our cultural ties. In the festivals, we screened movies like 'Dil Chahta Hai', '3 Idiots' and also a Tamil movie among others," a senior official of the Indian Embassy said.
As part of the 'Friendly Exchange', a 100-member youth delegation today visited the city as part of its eight-day tour of China.
During its stay in the country, the delegates, chosen from various fields were offered a window into the Chinese history, culture and the thinking of the youth in China.

Several cultural programmes from both sides were also held in various cities where the delegates visited during the stay.
"We have received good response from the audience in China. And, we are expecting more programmes in coming days," the embassy official said.