Nachrichten und Veranstaltungen

- Montag, 04.05.2026: Dr. Jürgen Malley: “Sri Lanka and its Gems - from generic to specific.” - Montag, 18.05.2026: Prof. Dr. Lewis Doney: “Tibetan Buddhist Art in a Leisure Context: A Case Study from a Newly Constructed ‘Sacred’ Site in Kathmandu.” - Montag, 01.06.2026: Martina Stoye und Dr. Peera Panarut: “In the Serenity of the Himavanta Forest – what the Berlin Traiphum (a Thai illuminated manuscript on Buddhist cosmology) discloses.” - Montag, 08.06.2026, 16:15 Uhr: Prof. Dr. Indranil Acharya: “Sexual Slavery and Economic Dependency: A Critical Study of the Nachni Performers of Eastern India in the context of the Devadasi Tradition.” - Montag, 22.06.2026: Dr. Petra Rösch: “Treasury and Library: The Relic Deposit of the Sculpture of Jizō Bosatsu of the Museum of East Asian Art Cologne.” - Montag, 06.07.2026: Prof. Dr. Lara Perason: “Adjusting to the Other: Gesture in Karnatak Vocal Performance and Lessons in South India.”

Sri Lanka and its Gems - See the Visible, Quest the Invisible: The island of Sri Lanka, also known as Ratna Dipa (Island of Gems), boasts a legacy as a premier source of precious stones for quite a number of millennia, with roughly 25% of its landmass potentially gem-bearing. The colourful and most durable stones feature a visible, bustling artisanal mining sector as well as high-stakes trading, however, with increasing shares of internationally sourced material. The "invisible" involves deep mysteries, complex geological and gemmological features, and last but not least the emotional attraction of these materials, including the dark sides of wealth and power, some as old as humanity, others with notable changes over time. Insights into human aspects of gemstones are provided, as well as into chemical and physical characteristics of the genesis and the presence of gemstones in a unique spot on earth.