National Seminar on “Brihattar Bharat” (Greater India): Connecting the Asian Countries”

25 and 26 May 2026

Department of Philosophy DDU Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur,

in collaboration with

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), Kolkata

ABOUT THE SEMINAR

The concept of “Brihattar Bharat” (Greater India) transcends mere geographical expansionism, representing instead a vast, fluid space of cultural, linguistic, and philosophical resonance that has historically unified the Asian continent. The profound intellectual and spiritual cartography of the Indian subcontinent has linked with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Central Asia. Grounded in the principles of “unity in diversity”, India has historically served as a fertile crucible for major global philosophical traditions and dialogues, fostering a unique pluralism where Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Christianity have coexisted and cross-pollinated for centuries and millennia. At the heart of this connection lies a shared repository of religious and philosophical inquiry reflected in the commentaries on the Vedas (1500-500 BCE), constructive and truth-seeking debates in the Nyaya-Sutra (6th century BCE- 2nd century CE) and the dialectics of Shankaracharya’s Advaita Vedanta. Ujjaini (present-day Ujjain), being the epicentre of the Prime Meridian (Indian GMT, 0° longitude), as detailed in the Surya Siddhant (4th-9th century CE), not only reminds us of India being the centre of world astronomy but also the prime centre of the planet from where the calculations of time began. The dialogic traditions of Buddhism spread all over the Asian countries, and its being a dominant religion in India made “the Chinese in the first millennium CE standardly referred to India as ‘the Buddhist kingdom’” (Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian, 2005). Such Indian traditions, pluralistic and dialogic by nature, travelled across maritime and overland routes. Further, the Ramayana (7th century BCE- 4th century CE) and the Mahabharata (3rd century BCE- 4th century CE) have not merely emerged as national epics but as foundational Asian texts that offer elaborate negotiations on dharma (righteousness), governance, kinship, and justice. From the shadow puppetry of Indonesia to the royal courts of Thailand, these narratives have been adapted to mirror local ethical and political sensibilities. Modern thinkers and scholars, such as Jawaharlal Nehru in The Discovery of India (1946) and A.L. Basham in The Wonder That Was India-1 (1954), have highlighted how these traditions sustain an ancient culture of reflection, dissent, and intellectual curiosity, positioning India as a long-standing point of trans-regional/national connectivity based on persuasion rather than coercion. For instance, Kushinagar, the place where Lord Buddha had his Mahaparinirvana, emerges as the site of pan-Asian pilgrimage, the source of Buddhist school of thought, confluence of Asian temple architectures, language and literary dialogues and shared Hindu-Buddhist philosophical and cultural heritage. Furthermore, the Indian study centres since antiquity, such as Taxila for Hinduism, Nalanda for Buddhism, present-day New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad for modern literatures philosophies and cultures, among others, have attracted scholars and academicians alike from not only Asia but the whole world.

At present, Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra (2nd century BCE- 1st century CE), Upanishadic thoughts, and Buddhist practices serve as epistemic frameworks validating knowledge against belief, dealing with cognition, suffering, and moksha/nirvana (liberation). The ethical tenets of Yama and Niyama, incorporating non-violence, truthfulness, and inner discipline, link personal transformation to societal responsibility, while the Bhagavadgeeta (2nd or 1st century BCE) embeds these yogic ideals within complex political and ethical dilemmas, offering a template for leadership and moral clarity across Asian cultures. The Nath Sampradaya, particularly the teachings of Gorakshnath, represents a pivotal shift toward Hatha Yoga and embodied spirituality. By focusing on bodily discipline to achieve higher consciousness, the Nath tradition bypassed elite Sanskritic circles, offering a mystical and “non-spiritualistic” mode of transcendence. Indian aesthetic theories, ranging from the Rasa theory of the Natyashastra to the complex iconographies of the Puranas, underwent a process of creative indigenisation across Asia. The migration of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, “the most popular story material for theatre” (Jukka O. Miettinen, Classical Dance and Theatre in South-East Asia, 1992), served as a literary substratum, blooming into diverse vernacular traditions that reshaped Southeast Asian drama, dance, and sculpture. The Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Geetanjali (1913) is not only an Indian literary masterpiece but a philosophical musing on human existence, species interconnectedness, and universal human ethics. Tagore found an echo in The Religion of Man (1931) to further ask nations for “co-operation, not only because co-operation gives us strength in our work, but because co-operation itself is the best aspect of the truth we represent; it is an end and not merely the means.” In the realm of visual arts, the monumental architectures of Borobudur and Angkor Wat stand as stone-wrought testimonies to the intersection of Indian cosmological principles with local genius. These intellectual, aesthetic, and cultural currents function not as static impositions but as a dialogic exchange where Sanskritic and Buddhist cultures merged with heterogeneous Asian indigenous folk motifs. This historical continuity fosters a shared Asian identity, where philosophy, literature, and the arts function as a conduit for trans-regional connectivity, reflecting a profound philosophical unity expressed through a kaleidoscope of diverse Asian cultural forms. The seminar, thus, provides a platform for academic dialogues on the issues like philosophy of Hinduism, Indological heritage, decolonial resistance, contemporary philosophical, aesthetic, cultural and geopolitical landscapes and Indian Knowledge Systems that contribute to the vision of “greater India” in aspiring to connect the Asian countries.

Abstracts on the following related (but not limited) interdisciplinary subthemes are invited:

• Indological Schools of Thought as Decolonial Resistance
• Hinduism, Dharma, Kingship, and Inter-Asian Political Ethics
• Indian Epistemologies, Logic and Inter-Asian Philosophical Traditions
• Civilizational Networks and Pre-modern Asian Cosmopolitanism
• Pilgrimage Circuits, Temple Networks and Sacred Geographical Imaginaries
• Maritime Silk Routes and Mercantile Diasporas
• Buddhist Scholasticism and Monastic Knowledge Transmission
• Transregional Poetics, Rasa Aesthetics, and Performance Traditions
• Syncretic Indo-Asian Architectures and Cosmological Symbolism
• Subaltern Migrations and Indigenous Knowledge Systems
• Gendered and Non-Binary Narratives and Epic Adaptations
• Sacred Ecologies and Contemporary Environmental Thought
• Sufi–Bhakti Dialogues and Devotional Convergences
• Postcolonial Pan-Asian Thought and Anti-Imperial Solidarities
• Translation Ethics and Semantic Transformations Across Asia
• Digital Mapping and Cultural Connectivity in Greater India
• Indian Knowledge Systems and Its Asian Continuum
• Indi-Asian Kinship, Community, Care and Futures
• Comparative Philosophy, Religions and Literature 

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

The Department of Philosophy has been an integral part of the Faculty of Arts since its inception in 1958. Initially, it was attached to the Department of Psychology for administrative purposes. The Department of Philosophy came into existence as an independent department in 1973. Prof. (Mrs.) Lakshmi Saxena was the founding head of the department. Under her dynamic leadership, the department's reputation a s a centre for research and education spread throughout India. Eminent professors from Hungary, Ottawa, Shanghai, etc., visited the department and delivered lectures. After Prof. Saxena, Prof. Sabhajit Mishra took over the charge of the head of the department. Under his leadership, the department reached new heights. A significant seminar on Phenomenology and Advaita Vedanta was organized, and the department gained a n all-India identity. Students started receiving scholarships from the UG and the Indian Council of Philosophical Research. The department has made significant contributions in the fields of Phenomenology, Existentialism, Aesthetics, Vedanta, Buddhism, The Philosophy of Kant, Wittgenstein, Vivekananda, Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Paramhansa Yogananda, and various schools of Indian and Western philosophy, as well as Logic and Yoga Philosophy. The Department of Philosophy has progressed on its path of progress with the contributions of the following heads of the department: Late Prof. (Mrs.) Lakshmi Saxena, Prof. Sabhajit Mishra, Late Prof. M.M. Trivedi, Late Prof. A.K. Singh, Prof. C.P. Srivastava, Prof. D.N. Yadav, Prof. Dwarka Nath, as well as faculty members including Prof. Sushil Kumar Tiwari, Late Prof. Ramprit Mishra, etc. During the tenure of the above-mentioned heads of the department and faculty members, numerous national seminars, refresher courses, and value-added courses were organized by the department. Currently, under the leadership of the Head of the Department, Prof. Kirti Pandey, and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, the department is continuously moving towards excellence. Currently, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Ram (Department Co-ordinator), Dr. Ramesh Chand, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Tiwari, and Dr. Deepak Kumar Gupta are working as Assistant Professors in the Department. All these teachers are actively involved in academic and administrative activities for the progress of the department and the university. I n the past year (2024-2025), the department successfully organized one international seminar, one national seminar, two value- added courses, and a n alumni meet. The Department of Philosophy offers U.G., P.G. and Ph.D. Courses along with Post Graduate Diploma in Yoga and M.A. in Yoga. Several research scholars are working under the guidance of the present faculty members, out of them many research scholars are U.G.C. and I.C.P.R. fellows.

ABOUT THE MAKAIAS

The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), Kolkata, is an autonomous research body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Founded in 1993, the institute serves a dual purpose: it commemorates the secular and intellectual legacy of Maulana Azad while functioning as a premier centre for Area Studies. Its academic focus spans the social, cultural, and political landscapes of South, Central, and West Asia, fostering interdisciplinary research. The institute operates from two significant locations: Azad Bhavan in Salt Lake, which houses a specialized research library, and the Maulana Azad Museum at his former residence on Ashraf Mistry Lane. For academicians, MAKAIAS is a vital repository of primary and secondary sources on Asian connectivity and nationalist movements. By organizing national seminars and publishing scholarly monographs, it remains an essential pillar for scholarly inquiry within the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Patron

Prof. Poonam Tandon

Vice Chancellor, DDU Gorakhpur University.

Head

Prof. Kirti Pandey

Department Philosophy, DDU Gorakhpur University.

Convenor

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Ram,

Department of Philosophy, DDU Gorakhpur University

Co-Convenor

Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Vishwakarma,

Department of English, DDU Gorakhpur University

Organizer

Dr. Ramesh Chand,

Department of Philosophy, DDU Gorakhpur University

Co-Organizer

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Tiwari,

Department of Philosophy, DDU Gorakhpur University

BOARD OFADVISORS

Prof. Kirti Pandey, Dean, Faculty of Arts, DDU Gorakhpur University)

Prof. Rajawant Rao, Department of Anc. History,  DDU Gorakhpur University.

Prof. Sunita Murmu,  Head, Department of English, DDU Gorakhpur University.

Prof. Anubhuti Dubey, DSW, DDU Gorakhpur University.

Prof. Usha Singh,  Head, Department of Fine Arts, DDU Gorakhpur University.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Dr. Sanjay Tiwari, Department of Philosophy.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Gupta, Department of Philosophy.

Dr. Kushal Nath Mishra, Mahayogi Guru Sri Gorakshnath Shodhpeeth.

Dr. Raju Gupta, Department of Economics.

Dr. Manindra Yadav, Department of Anc. History.

Dr. Gauri Shankar Chauhan, Department of Fine Arts.

Dr. Devendra Pal, Department of Sanskrit.

Dr. Brijesh Kumar, Department of English.

Dr. Ram Naresh Ram, Department of Hindi.

Dr. Ashish Singh, Department of History.

Dr. Vinod Kumar, Department of Anc. History.

REGISTRATION

Submit your abstracts via the following Google Form link:

https://forms.gle/G2gXqRprQNK6PwiE9

Last date of abstract submission. 25 April 2026.

Last date of full paper/PPT submission: 20 May 2026.

PUBLICATION

Selected papers, after their double blind review, will be published as seminar proceedings by the Publication Unit of MAKAIAS, Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

FEE DETAILS

For Faculties/Independent Researchers: INR 1500 (100 USD)

For Research Scholars/Students: INR 1200 (70 USD)

NOTE 1: The registration fee covers working breakfasts, lunches and tea breaks on the seminar days only.

NOTE 2: Registration Fee and Travel Tickets refund (up to Third AC train or AC chair/seater bus ticket in India) will be offered to one best paper presenter from each technical session, if they produce copies of their fee receipt and train/bus tickets.

ACCOUNT DETAILS

Convenor, National Seminar, Department of Philosophy.

Indian Bank, GKP University Branch

A/c: 8274385193

IFSC: IDIB000G616 

CONTACTS

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Ram (Convenor)

Mobile No.: +919451524886

Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Vishwakarma (Co-Convenor)

Mobile No.: +919455243846

Email Id: greaterindiaseminar@gmail.com

CFP DOWNLOAD

Please click on the following link to download the full CFP:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vT7vXpLHU17HMRgnEtmnT_sjo_VtojMV/view?usp=sharing