Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is a multi-campus, multi-disciplinary research academia that is accredited ‘A’ by NAAC and is ranked as one of the best research institutes in India. Founded by Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma), one of the prominent spiritual leaders of our times, and managed by Mata Amritanandamayi Math, the University is spread across six campuses in three states of India – Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with the University headquarters at Ettimadai, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It continuously collaborates with top US universities including Ivy League universities and top European universities for regular student exchange programs, and has emerged as one of the fastest growing institutions of higher learning in India. It has been ranked India’s 8th best university in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Ranking 2018 approved by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. In the same year, UGC has granted the full autonomy to the University which has maintained high standards of excellence.
Amrita Darshanam, International Centre for Spiritual Studies (ICSS) has been established under the guidance of Amma. The Centre serves as an academic platform for study and research in the domains of philosophy, culture, arts, literature and society under the broad canopy of India Studies. It offers various Ph.D. and post-graduate programs in Indian knowledge systems, humanities courses, seminars, conferences and workshops to facilitate scholarly exchange and integrated education for students. It also works with other national and international organizations on manuscript preservation, projects and collaborations, and researches of the highest standard. Currently, the Centre has branches in five university campuses, namely Amritapuri, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Mysuru and Chennai.
The South Zone Cultural Centre was established to bring the indigenous cultures of the zone closer to the masses, especially to the rural population and the under privileged, to make them understand, experience and enjoy the cultural variety of India. Dance, Drama, Music and Art must all be integrated to make a comprehensive presentation of every aspect of Indian culture through Zonal Cultural Centres. The programmes are organized in line with this vision and with the intention to perform the centrifugal role of disseminating culture outwards.
The city of Bengaluru (Bangalore) is known for its cosmopolitan nature. It is the socio-cultural and political hub of Karnataka. The city hosts people from different parts of India and the world, with diverse ethnicity and lifestyles. Kannada is the widely spoken language, along with English, Hindi, Tamil and a host of other languages. The landscape ranges from temples that are a few centuries old to skyscrapers that constitute the IT hub. One can get a feel of classical Indian culture by spending a couple of days in Bengaluru – every evening has several engagements related to lectures on philosophy, literature, arts and classical music, dance and theatrical performances.
Bengaluru Campus is one of the six campuses of the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. It is located in a peaceful environment, away from the hustle & bustle of city, yet well connected by road, provides an ambience for learning, combining state-of-the-art facilities. It provides an ideal environment that fulfills the aspirations of the young and meets the exacting demands of the future employers.
Two Schools – Engineering and Management are located in the campus, approx. 5-acre campus. The schools took birth from Chancellor Amma’s educational vision of preparing a generation that can successfully meet the rigorous demands of the Information Age and at the same time, be imbued with the noble ideals of selfless service and love. They are committed to providing students with a holistic education that includes theoretical coursework, laboratory and field experience, integrated with spiritual values.
Tantric traditions of India — ancient and diverse though they are — are a subject of much misconception. The earliest accounts of Tantra to reach the West were colonial descriptions from India penned by missionaries/administrators who presented its practices as particularly abominable excrescences of Indian superstition. Their descriptions often included shocking images in which every taboo was broken and all human propriety perverted. While the works of Sir John Woodroff slightly changed the image of Tantra — from that of a magical/orgiastic cult to a more refined philosophy — the foundational importance of transgression to the tradition continues to be denied. Furthermore, the purveyors of Tantra, who have no compunctions about appropriating a misguided nineteenth century polemic to peddle their shoddy wares, sell Tantra for profit.
Neither the sensationalist colonial representations nor the unsatisfactory monothetic responses to them stand up against reality. The real picture that emerges is rather one of a complex array of ritual, theoretical, and narrative strategies that are specific to their various religious, cultural, socio-political geographical, and historical contexts.
French Indologist Andre Padoux defined Tantra like this: “[Tantra is] an attempt to place kāma, desire, in every sense of the word, in the service of liberation… not to sacrifice this world for liberation’s sake, but to reinstate it, in varying ways, within the perspective of salvation. This use of kāma and of all aspects of this world to gain both worldly and supernatural enjoyments and powers, and to obtain liberation in this life, implies a particular attitude on the part of the Tantric adept toward the cosmos whereby he feels integrated within an all-embracing system of micro-macrocosmic correlations”.
Tantric traditions are of different types — Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina, and folk religions. The Hindu Tantras are divided into Śaiva, Śākta, and Vaiṣṇava. The purpose of this seminar will be to discuss the general features of the three important Tantric traditions of India i.e. Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, and Śākta; its origin, philosophy, cosmology, rituals, and the broader social aspects of Tantrism.
Since most of the Tantra texts are subject to distortion or misrepresentation today because the original intention of the sacred aspects of these traditions is not popularly known, organizing this seminar will be an invaluable source of understanding the traditionally-grounded approach to Tantra.
Dates: Dates to be announced soon.
Venue: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kasavanahalli, Carmelaram P.O., Bengaluru – 560035.
and more …
All those who are interested in studies related to Tantric traditions are welcome.
The workshop is organized in association with Amrita Centre for Research and Development.
Venue: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bengaluru Campus
We invite you to contribute abstracts for the Seminar. Interested participants are requested to follow the guidelines for the submission of abstract:
Authors are requested to send one copy of abstract, together with filled registration form, by e-mail to r_manish@blr.amrita.edu
Abstracts will be checked for plagiarism. Abstracts will be reviewed by an expert committee. Comments and feedback will be sent to the authors.
Authors of accepted abstracts should submit their full papers at the Seminar presentation.
Accommodation will be arranged for registered participants at our Bengaluru Campus.
All participants will be awarded a certificate.
Those who accompany participants are required to send the equivalent fees of the related category.
Details will be announced soon.
All correspondences regarding the Seminar should be addressed to:
Mr. Manish Rajan Walvekar (Convener of National Seminar),
Amrita Darshanam, ICSS, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bengaluru Campus
Address: Amrita Darshanam, ICSS, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kasavanahalli, Carmelaram,
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Email: r_manish@blr.amrita.edu
Phone: +91 9757405466, +91 9892220210