Sanskrit Inscriptions and Manuscripts: Rare Documents of Cultural Linkages across Asia

Chaired by Mahesh Deokar, Head, Dept. of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Savitribai Phule Pune University.

Sanskrit manuscripts and inscriptions preserved across Asia document two millennia of cultural exchange — carried by travelling scholars, translated and commented on, and put to use legitimising rulers, sanctifying land, and shaping ritual, medicine, and meditative practice. This talk surveys that documentary record and what it shows about Sanskrit's role as a shared cultural language across the region.

About the speaker: Shashibala has authored 25 publications and 110 research papers on India's cultural influence abroad, documented cultural links with India during her travels, and has held guest professorships at universities overseas; she is a recipient of Mongolia's highest civilian honour.