A grand ceremony at Red Square -- venue for military parades in the erstwhile Soviet Union -- marked the inauguration of the conference on Tuesday.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (second from right in photograph), founder of The Art of Living Foundation, urged world leaders on the occasion to spread love and harmony.
Delivering the keynote address, he said: 'Peace is represented by the dove and the dove looks for seeds of wisdom. Where there is peace, wisdom comes. Even if a small place is left without wisdom, the world is not going to be a safe place.'
The interfaith conference is being attended by delegates from 38 countries.
'India has stood for religious tolerance for ages,' Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said. 'The wise always celebrate the diversity.'