Archaeology of Bhakti

Bhāgavatamāhātmya

Bhāgavatamāhātmya, undated edition (Gaṇapatakṛṣṇājī Mudrālaya, Bombay)

ahaṃ bhaktir iti khyātā (...)
utpannā drāviḍe sāhaṃ vrddhiṃ karṇāṭake gatā
kvacit kvacin mahārāṣṭre gurjare jīrṇatāṃ gatā (...)
vrndāvanaṃ punaḥ prāpya navīneva surūpiṇī
jātāhāṃ yuvatī samyak preṣṭharūpā tu sāṃpratam
Bhāgavatamāhātmya I.44-49 (partim)

" [I am called Bhakti (...)]
I was born in Dravida,
grew mature in Karnataka,
Went here and there in Maharashtra,
then in Gujarat became old and worn (...)
But on reaching Brindavan I was renewed,
I became lovely once again,
So that now I go about as I ought:
a young woman of superb appearance."

Translation by John Stratton Hawley ("Seeing the Bhakti Movement," In Archaeology and Text: The Temple in South Asia, ed. by Himanshu Prabha Ray, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2010, p. 234).

The Archaeology of Bhakti
August 3rd - 14th 2015

The third workshop in the series The Archaeology of Bhakti, coorganised by Valérie Gillet (EFEO, Pondicherry), Charlotte Schmid (EFEO, Paris) and E. Francis (CEIAS, EHESS & CNRS, Paris) will take place at the centre of the EFEO in Pondicherry from the 3rd to 14th August 2015.

This year's theme is "The Bhakti of Minor Dynasties". The call for contributions is available at the following link.

 

 

EFEO News
XXXIIIrd Seoul Colloquium in Korea Studies
Seoul, Republic of Korea, 20 October 2020
The XXXIIIrd Seoul Colloquium in Korea Studies, organized by the EFEO Center in Seoul, in collaboration with the Royal Asiatic Society, is led by Bernard Sénécal (Professor Emeritus at Sogang University) on the theme: "Life and Works of Seon 禪 Master Seongcheol 性徹 (1912-1993) - the most famous Korean Buddhist monk in the 20th century".
At 6 p.m. at the EFEO Center in Seoul.

Legend: The great monk Seongcheol. Copyrights: 백련암문화제단 & 성철 선사상 연구소 (Baek Ryeon Am Cultural Foundation and Research Institute for Sung Chol Zen Thought).
Communiqué du Réseau des Écoles françaises à l’étranger en hommage à Samuel Paty
Paris, France, 20 October 2020
Le Réseau des Écoles françaises à l’étranger (École française d’Athènes, École française de Rome, Institut français d’archéologie orientale, École française d’Extrême-Orient, et Casa de Velázquez) condamne avec force l’insoutenable acte de barbarie perpétré contre le professeur d’histoire-géographie du collège du Bois-d’Aulne, à Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines), survenu vendredi 16 octobre.

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Delegation of the Embassy of Japan
Paris, France, 19 October 2020
On October 19 a delegation from the Japanese Embassy, consisting of the Minister, M. Matsuda, the Counsellor, M. Kido, and the First Secretary, Mme Takarada, was received at EFEO headquarters by the Director, C. Marquet, the Director of Studies, C. Pottier, and the Curator, F.-X. André.
After a visit to the library and a collection of ancient Japanese works, discussions took place on the Franco-Japanese research carried out by the EFEO in Japan and Cambodia.
''Kitashirakawa EFEO Salon''
Kyoto, Japan, 16 October 2020
As part of the Kitashirakawa EFEO Salon, the fifth lecture of the 2019-2020 cycle is presented by Markus Ruesch (Ryukoku University) on the topic: "Secret spaces for Amida: the function of hidden spaces in the rites of Pure Land Buddhism and their doctrinal foundations (Edo period)" (in Japanese without translation).
The conference will be broadcasted online via Zoom and on site at the EFEO Center in Kyoto (limited to 10 auditors, upon registration). More information
Call for applications
15 October 2020
The recruitment campaign for short-term post-doctoral contracts (from 3 to 6 months) is still ongoing. It will close on 15 October next.

For more information, click here.

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