A trove of Indian treasure

GUANGZHOU: An exhibition featuring 100 rare and precious items of treasure from ancient India is currently running in this southern city's downtown Nanyue King Museum.

Entitled Treasures of Ancient India, the exhibition is co-sponsored by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Guangzhou Organizing Committee of Asian Games (GAGOC) and the Indian Bureau of Archaeology.

On the current show are unearthed carving works that date back to the 3rd century BC through to the 18th century, according to Su Guifen, director of the Guangdong provincial cultural heritage bureau.

"Selected from 13 Indian museums, these 100 pieces of ancient Indian sculptures have very distinct features and strong artistic appeal. And 80 percent of them have not been shown outside of India before," Su says.

As an important part of the India-China Friendship Year 2006, the exhibition had already been held in Beijing, Zhengzhou and Chongqing before it moved to Guangzhou.

As the last stop of the exhibition, Nanyue King Museum in Guangzhou is presenting the cultural feast for free to primary and middle school students and the handicapped, according to Su.

Meanwhile, the show will also move to Japan after the Guangzhou stop, which lasts until October 10, according to Nirupama Rao, Ambassador of India to China.

"India and East Asian countries, including China and Japan, have established long-term friendship since the ancient time. Thus the exhibition will present a rare opportunity for visitors here in China and later in Japan to catch a glimpse of India's rich artistic traditions," Rao says. According to Rao, an event featuring tourism and culture exchanges between China and India will also be launched this year.

(China Daily 08/10/2007 page18)