The Himalayas in Worcester, Mass.

Holy Cross hosted a 4-week institute, titled Cultures and Religions of the Himalayan Region from July 14 through Aug. 9. The Institute was supported by the National Endowment for Humanities, a federal agency that hosts seminars and institutes for teachers during the summer months.

The Institute surveyed the Himalayan region's political and cultural history, connecting this area to wider developments in the history of India and China. Emphasis was placed on Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as on the Bön faith and folk traditions that have existed alongside the dominant religions. Art, architecture, literature, and folklore were surveyed and the Institute concluded with consideration of the region today, especially the environmental and political challenges facing the peoples there.

A very timely topic, this was the first NEH Institute in the nation focusing on the Himalayas. The co-directors were Todd Lewis, an associate professor of World Religions at Holy Cross and a specialist in Himalayan studies, and Leonard van der Kuijp, Professor of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies and Chairman of the Sanskrit and Indian Studies Department at Harvard University. The Institute also featured presentations and workshops presented by 12 visiting experts from the United States, Europe and Asia.

Institute students visited the Worcester Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Karmapa Monastery in Woodstock, New York. They also spent time at the Newark Museum, where the world's largest collection of Himalayan arts is housed. The directors and participants built a Web site based on their research that will serve as a national resource for teachers who wish to integrate the information into courses on Asian history, world religions, international politics and human ecology.

Related information:

# National Endowment for Humanities