17 February 2023,

To All Members

Subject:  Dekho Apna Desh - webinar on BUDDHIST MONASETRIES OF VADNAGAR 18th Feb 2023.

Dear Colleagues,

We have received an email from Ministry of Tourism (appended) stating that a webinar is being organised on 18th Feb 2023 at 1100 hrs, to present DAD Season 02, Episode No. 23 on topic, BUDDHIST MONASETRIES OF VADNAGAR 

To know more about this untouched land, visit the link

https://bit.ly/Vadnagar 

To participate in quiz, please visit

https://bit.ly/DADQuiz.

Thanks & regards

From: Moutoshi Naskar [mailto:dad.webinar@gov.in]

Sent: 17 February 2023 13:13

To: admin@iato.in; Subject: DAD Webinar Season 2 Episode - 23, on 18th Feb 2023 - Reg.

Dear Sir / Madam,

As you are aware that Ministry of Tourism organizes Dekho Apna Desh Webinar sessions under various schemes and topics every Saturday. On coming Saturday, 18th Feb 2023 at 1100 hrs, we are going to present DAD Season 02, Episode No. 23 on topic, " BUDDHIST MONASETRIES OF VADNAGAR.

North Gujarat in western part of India, traditionally, has been known as Anarta whose capital was named Anartapura. However, it was the 2nd century CE inscription of the Kshatrapa king Rudradaman, found at Junagadh, which records the name Anarta for the first time. In the forties of the last century Indian archaeologists had noticed a few sites of Buddhist interest in north Gujarat. Taranga was one such site from where sculptures belonging to Buddhist pantheon have been recorded. Later on, in the seventies of the same century some Buddhist rock paintings mainly depicting varieties of stupas were located in many rock shelters around Idar in the same area. Recent finding of a Buddhist establishment at Vadnagar in excavation has once again indicated that north Gujarat was once a very important region which provided firm footing for the development of many Buddhist centres in the region. Vadnagar findings also corroborate the travel records of the famous Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang who visited Anandapur (present Vadnagar) in the mid-7th century CE. The discovery of Buddhist monastery and stupas at Vadnagar firmly situates north Gujarat within the cultural history of Buddhist India.

To know more about this untouched land, visit the link https://bit.ly/Vadnagar

The Speaker of the day is:   MR. Yadubir Singh Rawat, Director (Retd), Archaeology & Museums, Govt. of Gujarat

A renowned field Archaeologist, YADUBIR SINGH RAWAT has been associated with explorations and excavations of many archaeological sites located in different regions of India, belonging to pre-historic to medieval periods. Apart from Gujarat, he participated in archaeological fieldwork in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, and Rajasthan. He has expertise in Harappan and early historic Archaeology. He has worked at well- known Harappan sites like Banawali, Dholavira, Kanmer and Kotada Bhadali and many others. His excavation at Vadnagar in north Gujarat has brought to light an unbroken continuity of an urban settlement that was founded around the 5th/4th century BCE and continues till date at the same place. The unearthing of a Buddhist monastery at Vadnagar is one of his contributions of archaeological importance. He also brought to light an extensive Buddhist establishment at Taranga, a site in the neighbourhoods of Vadnagar, and identified it as the ancient hill fort of Anarta.

He has contributed several research papers in national and international journals.

YADUBIRSINGH RAWAT served as Director of Gujarat State Archaeology and Museum from 2001 to 2015 and also functioned as Competent Authority Gujarat under the National Monument Authority, Government of India. He also contributed to the preparation of the Dholavira Dossier for UNESCO. Dholavira as an expert. Dholavira has been listed as a World Heritage Site on 27th July 2021.          

At present, he is contributing towards the Conservation of the City Heritage of Ahmedabad as one of the trustees of Ahmedabad World Heritage City Trust.

To participate in quiz, please visit: https://bit.ly/DADQuiz.

You are requested to make it convenient to attend the same with the above link.

India Tourism offices in India and overseas are requested to circulate the above amongst the tour operators, opinion makers, etc. in the area of their jurisdiction.

IT Division of MOT is requested to amplify the above webinars on the Incredible India website.

Regards

Team MOT

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav /

Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series

Ministry of Tourism

Government of India

New Delhi