Author: Tine Vekemans

Starting 14 October: Lecture Series – Dialogues in European Jain Studies II

Dialogues in European Jain Studies features new and original research in Jain Studies taking place in Europe. Each event features a scholarly introduction, presentations from two scholars of Jain Studies undertaking related research in Europe, followed by a discussion and Q&A with the audience.

As a collaboration between Ghent University, the University of Birmingham, and Arihanta Institute, we feature a variety of topics and methodologies ranging from philosophical, anthropological, historical, philological, and applied approaches to Jain Studies, and more. All events are held online, and are intended to be accessible in times zones ranging between Europe, North America, Africa, and India.

The 2024-2025 program will be online soon at https://dialogues.arihantainstitute.org/

 

22 October: Ācārya Mahāprajña Annual Lecture – Sacred Place and Structured Space – Julia Hegewald

This year’s Ācārya Mahāprajña Annual Lecture will be held on Thursday 22nd October, from 4:30 pm. It will take place in the Faculty Board Room (Blandijnberg 2), but will also be accessible online (see below for registration).

Our speaker Prof. Dr. Julia A.B. Hegewald (University of Bonn) will discuss aesthetic aspects of pilgrimage in Jainism.

 

Sacred Place and Structured Space: Pilgrimage in Jainism

This presentation explores reasons why Jainas go on pilgrimage. The audience is introduced to different concepts, which make pilgrimage places sacred. Amongst these sacred places are sites of historical importance, usually linked to the life of one of the Jinas, to a miraculous event, a striking natural feature or an especially powerful icon. Such pilgrimage sites attract generous donations and grow substantially over the years. The importance of specific sites is also reflected and can be further enhanced by representing them in paintings, prints and miniature models. Such reproductions make the sites available at other places as well and widen their area of influence. As Jainas aim to go on pilgrimage during particularly auspicious periods, pilgrimage is also tightly linked to Jaina festivals.

 

Speaker

Julia A.B. Hegewald has been Professor of Oriental Art History and Head of the Department of Asian and Islamic Art History, at the University of Bonn, since 2010. She was Reader in Art History at Manchester University, a postdoctoral Fellow at the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University and a Research Fellow at University College Oxford. She studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London, from where she also holds a PhD. Her books on Jainism include: Jaina Temple Architecture in India: The Development of a Distinct Language in Space and Ritual (2009; 2018; 2024), The Jaina Heritage: Distinction, Decline and Resilience (2010), Jaina Painting and Manuscript Culture: In Memory of Paolo Pianarosa (2015), and Jaina Tradition of the Deccan: Shravanabelagola, Mudabidri, Karkala (2021).

 

Registration

Register for on-campus attendance: https://forms.gle/dDBN8EeVSWjYJ7tj6

Register for online attendance: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ChbEIKvpQ6-X9tNwJbE5Cg

This event will be followed by a small reception.