 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 9: A one-day National Workshop on the theme "Indian Knowledge System and Iconography: How Deities Encoded Medical Science" was successfully organised at Central Sanskrit University (under the Ministry of Education, Government of India), Shri Ranbir Campus, Kot-Bhalwal, Jammu on 9th February 2026. The programme was held at the Vani Vilas Auditorium and witnessed enthusiastic participation from faculty members, scholars, and a large number of students from various departments of the university.
The programme commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries on the dais. This was followed by the Vedic Mangalaacharan presented by Dr. Praveen Kumar Verma and the laukik (classical) invocation by Ms. Sakshi. The University Anthem (Kulgeet) was sung collectively by the technical team, setting a dignified and inspiring tone for the event.
The Welcome Address was delivered by Dr. Sarvesh Tripathy, Coordinator, Department of Sarva Darshan, who warmly welcomed the guests and emphasized that the Indian Knowledge System is not merely a legacy of the past but a living intellectual tradition relevant to contemporary academic discourse.
The Introductory Address was presented by Dr. Madan Kumar Jha, Faculty of Education, who explained the conceptual framework of the workshop and highlighted its importance in enabling students to understand Indian traditions through a modern and interdisciplinary perspective.
The Keynote Address was delivered by Acharya Mahanidhi, Kalpatantra-Vaidya Gurukul, Jammu. In his extensive and insightful lecture, he elaborated on the deep interrelationship between Indian iconography and medical science. He explained that Indian deities and their iconographic features are not merely symbolic representations of faith, but carefully designed embodiments of scientific and medical knowledge. He illustrated how various postures, gestures (mudras), weapons (ayudhas), and physical structures of deities symbolically encode principles related to human anatomy, nervous system, energy channels (nadis), and chakras. Acharya Mahanidhi emphasized that if these symbols are studied systematically, they can offer valuable insights even to modern medical science. |
