About the Journal

1. Background

Like a river, Ramayana has spread to various parts of the world since thousands of years ago. This long journey has been able to elevate many civilizations in the various regions it passed. Ramayana has been the main inspiration in the history of world civilizations. Various works of art including dances, dramas, paintings, sculptures, literature, and reliefs use the Ramayana as both the main source of inspiration or as a background. Even the construction of temples in the past, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Prambanan Temple in Central Java, as well as dozens of other temples display sculptures originating from the Ramayana story.  Even today, Ramayana is still an important icon in various traditional dances in numerous countries, especially in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Furthermore, beyond the context of works of art, literature, and architecture, Ramayana also brings direct impacts on people's mindsets. Ramayana's values ​​of life and living have also permeated our consciousness. Billions of people go through their lives based on the divine values of Ramayana. Divine values such as compassion, mutual help, heroism, and the like are characters that are formed due to the influence of these divine values. It can be said that the high level of civility that exists today goes hand in hand with a lifestyle inspired by the values ​​of the Ramayana. Naturally, we sincerely hope that these divine values ​​of this heritage to continuously become the foundation of life for the world community in the future. To do so, understanding Ramayana’s spread and its contribution to world civilization is a very important step toward the preservation of this foundation. We owe future generations the knowledge of Ramayana both in the original context and its contemporary existence across boundaries and its contribution to a prosperous and harmonious life.

2. Purpose and Objectives

Today’s 4.0 era has fundamentally changed the way of life of the world community. This change certainly had a direct impact on changing the mindset. The divine values ​​of Ramayana that have flowed since ancient times are expected to continue to flow to this generation and such process of transfer and transformation requires a paradigm shift. On this basis, the International Conference on Ramayana is held. The objectives of this conference are as follows:

  • Exploring the map of the spread of Ramayana around the world
  • Exploring the contribution of Ramayana values ​​in various fields of life
  • Knowing the teachings of the Ramayana and their use as reference in people's lives
  • Recognizing and identifying the patterns of Ramayana learning in the 4.0 era and their impact on religious moderation

3. Theme

The theme of the 1st Annual International Conference on Hindu Studies are as follows:

“Ramayana: Its Spread and Contribution to World Civilization”

This theme is further divided into the following sub-themes:

  • Ramayana across country
  • Ramayana's Contribution to World Literacy
  • Ramayana's Contribution to peace and harmony
  • Ramayana and Social Ethics
  • The Relevance of Ramayana's Teaching to the Contemporary World
  • Ramayana in the digital era and its role in building religious moderation

4. Conference Organizer

This International Conference activity is organized by I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa Denpasar State Hindu University, through an organizing committee officially appointed by rector’s decree, with the Rector of I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa Denpasar State Hindu University as the responsible party for the conference. The conference is hoped to be beneficial for the entire academic community of I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa Denpasar State Hindu University, the participants involved, and the community in general.

5. Output

The output of this International Conference is comprehensive knowledge about the chronology of the spread of Ramayana and its values for the development of world civilization which is formatted into a conference proceeding.

6. Venue and Time of Implementation

The International Conference will be held at the Bangli Campus, I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa State Hindu University, Denpasar. The activity will be carried out in one day, Thursday, 29 December 2022.

7. Participants

We are expecting the attendance of about 300 participants from various countries, either as speakers, presenters, or participants.

8. Financing

The Finances for the present International Conference is borne by I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa Denpasar State Hindu University pursuant to its DIPA and other funding sources pursuant to all applicable rules and regulations.

 

This Term of References for the 1st International Conference on Hindu Studies (ICOHIS) is hereby declared, subject to any future changes deemed necessary for its improvement.