The Embassy of Japan
cordially invites to you a lecture on
“Hindu Gods and Goddesses rooted in Japan”
by Dr. Lokesh CHANDRA
Director, International Academy of Indian Culture
Date: |
February 16, 2007 at 6.30 p.m. |
Venue: |
India International Centre Annexe,
40 Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi
|
Organized by: |
Embassy
of Japan & India International Centre |
Apart from the widely known fact that Buddhism in Japan has its origins in India, not many probably know that Japanese people’s life is surrounded with so many Hindu deities without their even being conscious of it. Since these Hindu deities were introduced into Japan through China with Chinese names, most Japanese are simply unaware about their genesis. Temples in Kyoto and Nara are full of Hindu deities everywhere. All 28 Guardian Deities are Hindu Gods, such as Indra, Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Shiva, and so on.
Dr. Lokesh Chandra, born in 1927, obtained his Master’s degree (M.A.) in 1947 from the Punjab University at Lahore, and followed it with a Doctorate in Literature and Philosophy from the State University of Utrecht (Netherlands) in 1950. Starting with an understanding of the most ancient of India’s spiritual expression enshrined in the Vedic tradition, Dr. Chandra has moved on to the interlocution between India, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan, South East Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Presently, Dr. Chandra is the Honorary Director of the International Academy of Indian Culture, which is a premier research institution for Asian cultures. Dr. Chandra has striven all his life for goodwill, harmony and understanding of languages, cultures and religions of the world. He has studied over twenty languages of the world, and has over 195 articles and research papers relating to International Understanding to his credit.
In his lecture, Dr. Chandra will talk about the many Hindu Gods and Goddesses rooted in Japan, and how deeply Indian religion and culture have influenced the Japanese cultural and social structure over the centuries.
