'Project Gaja-Lok' to be launched tomorrow with exhibition at INTACH headquarters

New Delhi, Nov 18 (PTI) The culture ministry on Tuesday announced that 'Project Gaja-Lok', a culture-nature programme dedicated to documenting and exploring the profound connections surrounding the Asian elephant, will be launched here with a thematic exhibition that will run from November 19-25.

'Project Gaja-Lok: Elephant Lands and their Cultural Symbolism in Asia' is a "pioneering transnational initiative" helmed by Delhi-based heritage NGO Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

"The culture-nature programme is dedicated to documenting and exploring the profound connections surrounding the Asian elephant, highlighting intertwined narratives of culture, history, ecology, and climate resilience across the continent," the ministry said in a statement.

'Project Gaja-Lok' will officially commence with a public exhibition to be held from November 19-25, and there will be a roundtable on November 20 at INTACH headquarters here.

Organised by the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Division of INTACH, it will bring together academicians, cultural experts, and conservationists to initiate a multi-country dialogue, positioning the elephant as both "a revered cultural icon and a living emblem of ecological resilience".

For millennia, elephants have walked alongside humans, shaping art, spirituality, and daily life across Asia. From the verses of the Arthashastra to the spiritual symbolism of Buddhist and Jain traditions, and from the royal courts of India to temples across Southeast Asia, they have endured as symbols of power, wisdom, and cosmic harmony, the ministry said in a statement.

The exhibition traces this magnificent journey, showcasing the elephant's role through artefacts, ranging from ancient Indus Valley seals and Bharhut railings to the majestic statues of Konark Temple.

The displays reveal how elephants have shaped the spiritual, artistic, and political life of civilisations.

The roundtable will foster collaborative research by addressing critical themes -- human-elephant interactions through history, contemporary ecological challenges, the ethics of coexistence, and the future of cross-border heritage collaboration, it said.

'Gaja-Lok' is more than a cultural programme; it is a reminder that the "story of elephants is inseparable from our own". This initiative bridges past and future, art and environment, inspiring a shared commitment to conservation and cultural heritage, it said.

'Project Gaja-Lok' aims to honour one of Asia's most enduring relationships -- the sacred bond between humans and elephants, the ministry said. PTI KND RHL