Ministry/Department: Ministry of Culture
Objective: To establish cross-cultural linkages and to revise historic maritime cultural and economic ties with 39 Indian Ocean countries.
At the macro level, it aims to re-connect and re-establish communications between countries of the Indian Ocean world, which would lead to an enhanced understanding of cultural values and concerns; while at the micro level, the focus is on understanding national cultures in their regional maritime milieu.
Scheme:
- It is to be implemented by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency
- ASI will get research support of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Museum as associate bodies.
- The Government has identified 39 countries to bring on board for trans-national nomination for World Heritage
- This project aims to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean ‘world’ – collating archaeological and historical research in order to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean – extending from East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka to the Southeast Asian archipelago.
- It also aims to promote research on themes related to the study of Maritime Routes through international scientific seminars and meetings and by adopting a multidisciplinary approach.
Factual Information:
- Launched in 2014