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On January 14-15, 2004 was held a workshop on the theme "Training a New Generation of Sanskritists in Cambodia". Devoted mainly, though not exclusively, to the question of training Khmer scholars in the field of Sanskrit, it was conducted by Prof. Kamaleswar. Bhattacharya, CKS Board member, and Prof. Ang Choulean, APSARA. Among numerous participants were Prof. T.S. Maxwell (Bonn, Germany), Prof. Chirapat Prapandvidya (Bangkok, Thailand), Prof. M. Vickery, Prof. Long Seam, Dr. Sylvain Vogel (Phnom Penh), and the Ambassador of India in Cambodia. Prof. Bhattacharya stressed the importance of Sanskrit in ancient Cambodia, as the cultural language, and that of the numerous Sanskrit inscriptions, which constitute the only literature in the strict sense that has come down to us from ancient Cambodia. He also emphasized - against some naive assumptions - the necessity of revising the voluminous work done in that field by prominent French scholars of the older generations, such as A. Barth, A. Bergaigne, L. Finot, and G. Coedès, and, in that connection, the necessity of acquiring a perfect knowledge of Sanskrit and of the culture (literature, philosophy, grammar) that finds expression in that language - a knowledge that scholars in the field have lacked up to now. Ways of training Khmer were explored. One of the possibilities examined was to send them - after a preliminary training in Phnom Penh by Prof. Sylvain Vogel - to Bangkok and then to India where they should ultimately go to follow the curriculum practiced in the Indian universities. Prof. Prapandvidya, on behalf of the Silpakorn University, extended Bangkok's cooperation and The Ambassador of India extended India's. A Memorandum was prepared. The workshop was a success. Prof. K. Bhattacharya
Wednesday January 14, 2004
Thursday January 14, 2004
The present Memorandum has been drafted following the discussions held at the workshop organized by the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) in Siem Reap – Angkor on January 14-15, 2004. His Excellency the Ambassador of India, eminent scholars, and several institution representatives participated in these deliberations. Existing capacities for Sanskrit training in Cambodia Cambodia is renowned for the depth of its ancient Sanskrit culture, especially with the inscriptions of ancient Angkorean and Pre-Angkorean times (5th-14th C. A.D.). Some of these invaluable inscriptions are still in situ in their original temples; most others are currently housed at the National Museum in Phnom Penh and at the Conservation d’Angkor in Siem Reap-Angkor. Most of them were deciphered by French scholars, notably those affiliated to the Ecole Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO). The workshop participants agreed that Sanskrit culture is an essential component of Cambodia’s past and present cultural heritage. From 1953 until 1959, Cambodia hosted an Indian Government supported Chair of Sanskrit. Efforts to sustain training in Sanskrit in Cambodia exist and are growing in number. However, there is still a serious shortage in high-quality Sanskrit teachers, a lack of cooperation between interested institutions, and a relative absence of pedagogical materials. Also, potential interested Cambodian Sanskrit students lack information and awareness about the value and usefulness of Sanskrit. Capacity for Sanskrit training in Cambodia is available at the following institutions: - Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). Since 2001, Introductory Sanskrit courses have been offered at the Linguistic Circle, French Language Department; Courses are taught by Prof. Sylvain Vogel for linguistic students in their final two years of undergraduate study. - Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA). From 1965 until 1975, RUFA operated a Sanskrit language training program. Since 1992, introductory Sanskrit courses were re-offered for all years of study. Unfortunately, the courses are currently discontinued. - Royal Academy of Cambodia. The Institute of National Languages under the direction of Prof. Long Seam, is training students in epigraphy and linguistics as related to the study of ancient Khmer language inscriptions. Sanskrit training is necessary, but not available. - Maharishi Vedic University (MVU). Introductory Sanskrit courses are currently offered for all years of study (Prof. Adolfo Yrure, Um Kun Song) - Raja Sihanouk Buddhist University. Introductory Sanskrit courses are offered to Buddhist monks for all years of study (Prof. Brahmachary Tripathi) In addition, Cambodia still holds a few document resources related to Sanskrit (Buddhist Institute Library, National Library, Center for Khmer Studies Library, MVU Library, EFEO Library, National Museum Library. Resources available in India and Thailand / New collaborative opportunities for further Sanskrit training in India Indian and international programs are now being offered to Cambodian students wishing to pursue studies in Sanskrit after introductory training at Cambodian universities. Among the programs offered are: - Government of India Bursary Program for Cambodians seeking training at an Indian institution of Higher Education (short-term / long-term scholarships) - EFEO fellowship program for Cambodians Sanskrit students wishing to pursue further studies in India or France. In India, programs are offered at Pondichery and Pune EFEO centers. This is a non-degree program, but it can lead to a postgraduate degree at a French university. - American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS). In collaboration with CKS, AIIS is developing a collaborative program to send Cambodian Sanskrit students to one of the AIIS centers in India (particularly New Delhi, Pune). Possibility of further graduate study at a US university including the U. of Chicago. - European Union –funded collaborative program between RUFA, CKS, Mysore University and the Société Asiatique de Paris for Sanskrit studies applied to Indian and Khmer temples (under Profs. Vasundhara and Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat). - Silpakorn University, Department of Oriental Languages, Faculty of Archaeology, Sanskrit Studies Center. Sanskrit is taught at BA, MA and PhD levels. The program benefits from the presence of an Indian Government-sponsored chair in Sanskrit (currently held by Prof. Rathavalah Tripathi). Prof. Prapandvidya Chirapat is the Director of the program. Also in Bangkok, Sanskrit is taught at Chulalongkorn University and at two Buddhist Universities (undergraduate programs). Taking into account these conditions, the participants of the workshop agree that: - Sanskrit training in Cambodia is essential to understanding and appreciating the cultural heritage of Cambodia and Southeast Asia. - A curriculum to learn Sanskrit is universally available and there is no need to develop a distinct curriculum for Cambodia. - There are limited but available resources for early Sanskrit training in Cambodia, and there is also willingness on the part of scholars and institutions for collaboration in this field. - There are new opportunities (and funding) available for Cambodians to pursue further training in Sanskrit studies in India and other countries. Participants of the workshop recommend that the present resources available in Cambodia and Thailand should be better used and coordinated. This should take the form of collaboration between the RUPP Linguistic Circle under Prof. Vogel, the Archaeological Survey of India Superintendent Prof. Narasima, the Mahareshi Vedic University, Prof. Bhramachari Tripati, and members of the Silpakorn University, in view of consolidating an early training program in Sanskrit in Cambodia. The program could also include an outreach component aiming at some selected secondary education institutions, to introduce young Cambodians to Sanskrit. The other institutions present at the meeting agree to support this effort of capacity building at RUPP. Participants agree that the Indian Embassy has a key role to play in this effort, especially to ensure its sustainability. Overall, participants in the workshop agree that both the Cambodian and Indian Governments should include the development of Sanskrit studies in Cambodia as a priority matter in the cooperation between the two countries. At an early stage, the Government of India could assist Cambodia in the support of the RUPP training program by providing pedagogical support (books, study methodologies, etc.), as well as connecting with Indian visiting faculties and sending experts in Sanskrit from India. For its part, the Government of Cambodia should ensure that the university program at RUPP is a fully accredited one. A further step to explore would be to establish a chair of Sanskrit studies (visiting professorship position) as part of a Sanskrit Studies center in a Cambodian university, as it has been successfully developed in Thailand.
Summary provided by the Workshop Participants
Cambodia Germany Thailand USA
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