The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is proud to announce the launch of Project Gaja-Lok: Elephant Lands and their Cultural Symbolism in Asia, a pioneering transnational initiative. This culture-nature programme is dedicated to documenting and exploring the profound connections surrounding the Asian elephant, highlighting intertwined narratives of culture, history, ecology, and climate resilience across the continent.
Project Gaja-Lok will officially commence with a public Exhibition from 19th to 25th November 2025 and a Roundtable on 20th November 2025 at INTACH, New Delhi. These events, organized by the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Division, will bring together academicians, cultural experts, and conservationists to initiate a multi-country dialogue, positioning the elephant as both a revered cultural icon and a living emblem of ecological resilience.
For millennia, elephants have walked alongside humans, shaping art, spirituality, and daily life across Asia. From the verses of the Arthaśāstra to the spiritual symbolism of Buddhist and Jain traditions, and from the royal courts of India to temples across Southeast Asia, they have endured as symbols of power, wisdom, and cosmic harmony.
The Gaja-Lok Exhibition traces this magnificent journey, showcasing the elephant’s role through artifacts ranging from ancient Indus Valley seals and Bharhut railings to the majestic statues of Konark Temple. The displays reveal how elephants have shaped the spiritual, artistic, and political life of civilizations.
The Gaja-Lok Roundtable (November 20) will foster collaborative research by addressing critical themes: human-elephant interactions through history, contemporary ecological challenges, the ethics of coexistence, and the future of cross-border heritage collaboration.
Gaja-Lok is more than a cultural programme; it is a reminder that the story of elephants is inseparable from our own. This initiative bridges past and future, art and environment, inspiring a shared commitment to conservation and cultural heritage.
