Hindu art

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Hindu art
Hindu artworks and artifacts from different periods.

Hindu art encompasses the artistic traditions and styles culturally connected to Hinduism and have a long history of religious association with Hindu scriptures, rituals and worship.

Background

lotus
flower, extra limbs, and even the traditional arts make their appearances in many sculptures, paintings, music, and dance.

History

Earliest depictions of Hindu deities (3rd-2nd centuries BCE)

Early depictions of Hindu deities
Brahmi script, circa 180 BCE.[4]

It is thought that before the adoption of stone sculpture, there was an older tradition of using clay or wood to represent Indian deities, which, because of their inherent fragility, have not survived.[5]

There are no remains of such representations, but an indirect testimony appears in the some punch-marked coins of the

chattra), as seen in later statues of Bodhisattvas in Mathura. It is therefore thought that images, predating the coins but now lost, served as models to the engravers.[7]

Early Hindu reliefs
Linga, Mathura, circa 100 BCE[8]
Worship of Shiva Linga by Gandharvas, 2nd-1st century BCE

The dancing girls on some of the coins of Agathocles and Pantaleon are also sometimes considered as representations of Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, but also a Goddess of abundance and fortune for Buddhists, or Subhadra, the sister of Krishna and Balarama.[7]

Early reliefs (1st century BCE)

By 100 BCE in the

Linga. These reliefs from Mathura are dated to circa 100 BCE.[8] These examples of narrative reliefs, although few remain, are as refined and intricate as the better known Buddhist narrative reliefs of Bharhut, Sanchi or Amaravati.[9][10]

Hindu art under the Kushans (2nd-3rd century CE)

Vrishni clan.[11] Vāsudeva (avatar of Vishnu) is fittingly in the center with his heavy decorated mace on the side and holding a conch, his elder brother Balarama to his right under a serpent hood, his son Pradyumna to his left (lost), and his grandson Aniruddha on top.[11][12]
2nd century CE, Mathura Museum.

Hindu art started to develop fully from the 1st to the 2nd century CE, and there are only very few examples of artistic representation before that time.[13] Hindu art found its first inspiration in the Buddhist art of Mathura. The three Vedic gods Indra, Brahma and Surya were actually first depicted in Buddhist sculpture, as attendants in scenes commemorating the life of the Buddha, such as his Birth, his Descent from the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, or his retreat in the Indrasala Cave.[13] During the time of the Kushans, Hindu art progressively incorporated a profusion of original Hindu stylistic and symbolic elements, in contrast with the general balance and simplicity of Buddhist art. The differences appear in iconography rather than in style.[14] It is generally considered that it is in Mathura, during the time of the Kushans, that the Brahmanical deities were given their standard form:

"To a great extent it is in the visual rendering of the various gods and goddesses of theistic Brahmanism that the Mathura artist displayed his ingenuity and inventiveness at their best. Along with almost all the major cult icons Visnu, Siva, Surya, Sakti and Ganapati, a number of subsidiary deities of the faith were given tangible form in Indian art here for the first time in an organized manner. In view of this and for the variety and multiplicity of devotional images then made, the history of Mathura during the first three centuries of the Christian era, which coincided with the rule of the Kusanas, can very well be called revolutionary in the development of Brahmanical sculpture"

— Pran Gopal Paul and Debjani Paul, in Brahmanical Imagery in the Kuṣāṇa Art of Mathurā: Tradition and Innovations[15]

Some sculptures during this period suggest that the concept of the

Kadamba tree, symbolically showing the relationship being the different deities.[11] The depiction of Vishnu was stylistically derived from the type of the ornate Bodhisattvas, with rich jewelry and ornate headdress.[17]

Hindu art under the Guptas (4th-6th century CE)

Iconography of Vishnu
(5th century CE)
aureole around the head (5th century CE). Uttar Pradesh.[20]
Visnu Visvarupa: Vishnu as three-headed cosmic creator, showing Vishnu with a human head, flanked by his avatars (the head of a lion for Narasimha, the muzzle of a boar for Varaha) with a multitude of beings on his aureole, symbol of the emanations resulting from his creative power. 5th century CE, Mathura.[20]

The first known creation of the Guptas relate to Hindu art at Mathura is

Lingas in 380 CE under Chandragupta II, Samudragupta's successor.[21]

Development of the iconography of Vishnu

Until the 4th century CE, the worship of

aureole starting at the shoulders.[20]

Other statues of Vishnu show him as three-headed (with an implied fourth head in the back), the Visnu Vaikuntha Chaturmurti or Chaturvyuha ("Four-Emanations") type, where Vishnu has a human head, flanked by the muzzle of a boar (his avatar Varaha) and the head of a lion (his avatar Narasimha), two of his most important and ancient avatars, laid out upon his aureole.[20] Recent scholarship considers that these "Vishnu" statues still show the emanation Vāsudeva Krishna as the central human-shaped deity, rather than the Supreme God Vishnu himself.[22][20]

A further variation is Vishnu as three-headed cosmic creator, the Visnu Visvarupa, showing Vishnu with a human head, again flanked by the muzzle of a boar the head of a lion, but with a multitude of beings on his aureole, symbol of the numerous creations and emanations resulting from his creative power.[20] These sculptures can be dated to the 5th century CE.[20]

Incorporation of Lakshmi

In the 3rd-4th century CE,

Hindu goddess of wealth, good fortune, prosperity and beauty.[24]

  • Pillar recording the installation of Shiva Lingas in the "year 61" (380 CE) during the rule of Chandragupta II.[25][21]
    Pillar recording the installation of Shiva Lingas in the "year 61" (380 CE) during the rule of Chandragupta II.[25][21]
  • Four-faced Vishnu Chaturvyuha ("Four-Emanations"), 4th-5th century, Mathura
    Four-faced Vishnu Chaturvyuha ("Four-Emanations"), 4th-5th century, Mathura
  • Vishnu Caturanana ("Four-Armed"), 5th century, Mathura
    Vishnu Caturanana ("Four-Armed"), 5th century, Mathura
  • Vishnu statue, 5th century, Mathura.
    Vishnu statue, 5th century, Mathura.
  • Bust of Brahma, Circa 6th Century CE
    Bust of Brahma, Circa 6th Century CE
  • Ganesha, Gupta Period, Mathura
    Ganesha, Gupta Period, Mathura

Medieval period (8th-16th century)

Hindu art became largely prevalent from the Medieval period onward. It was accompanied by the decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent.

  • Balarama from Mathura, Early Medieval period (8th-13th century CE).
    Balarama from Mathura, Early Medieval period (8th-13th century CE).
  • Sarvatobhadra Shiva Linga Representing Brahma Vishnu Maheshwar and Surya, Circa 9th Century CE
    Sarvatobhadra Shiva Linga Representing Brahma Vishnu Maheshwar and Surya, Circa 9th Century CE
  • Architectural Fragment with Divine Figures, circa 10th century CE
    Architectural Fragment with Divine Figures, circa 10th century CE
  • A Yakshin, 10th century, Mathura, India. Guimet Museum.
    A Yakshin, 10th century,
    Mathura, India. Guimet Museum
    .
  • Decorative Door Jamb – Medieval Period
    Decorative Door Jamb – Medieval Period
  • Durga, Medieval Period
    Durga, Medieval Period
  • Fire God, Medieval Period
    Fire God, Medieval Period
  • Four-armed Seated Vishnu in Meditation, Mediaeval Period
    Four-armed Seated Vishnu in Meditation, Mediaeval Period
  • Jain Tirthankara Neminath, Circa 12th Century CE
    Jain Tirthankara Neminath, Circa 12th Century CE
  • Standing Surya, Medieval Period
    Standing Surya, Medieval Period
  • Standing Twin Vishnu, Circa 10th Century CE
    Standing Twin Vishnu, Circa 10th Century CE
  • Ten-armed Ganesha, Medieval Period
    Ten-armed Ganesha, Medieval Period

Early modern period (16th-19th century)

  • Balarama, circa 18th Century CE
    Balarama, circa 18th Century CE
  • Krishna Lifting Govardhan Mound, circa 19th Century CE
    Krishna Lifting Govardhan Mound, circa 19th Century CE
  • Lakshmi Narayan Seated on Garuda – Bronze – Circa 18th Century CE
    Lakshmi Narayan Seated on Garuda – Bronze – Circa 18th Century CE

Modern period

  • Kartikeya, Modern Period
    Kartikeya, Modern Period
  • Krishna Killing the Kaliyanaga Demon, Bronze, Modern Age
    Krishna Killing the Kaliyanaga Demon, Bronze, Modern Age
  • Man Milking Cow with Calf, Bronze, Modern Age
    Man Milking Cow with Calf, Bronze, Modern Age
  • Seated Shiva, Modern Period
    Seated Shiva, Modern Period
  • Stupa, Bronze, Modern Age
    Stupa, Bronze, Modern Age

Popular dance and music art forms

Part of a series on
Hindu Classical Arts

Natya Shastra and centuries of Hindu cultural traditions have given rise to several art forms. Some of which are:

floral decoration
A Hindu dance depicting the goddess Durga

64 traditional arts

Hindu dances as part of ritual

Numerical list

  1. gita — art of singing.
  2. vadya — art of playing on musical instruments.
  3. nritya — art of dancing.
  4. natya — art of theatricals.
  5. alekhya — art of painting.
  6. viseshakacchedya — art of painting the face and body with colored unguents and cosmetics.
  7. tandula-kusuma-bali-vikara — art of preparing offerings from rice and flowers.
  8. pushpastarana — art of making a covering of flowers for a bed.
  9. dasana-vasananga-raga — art of applying preparations for cleansing the teeth, clothes, and painting the body.
  10. mani-bhumika-karma — art of making the jewel garlands.
  11. sayya-racana — art of covering the bed.
  12. udaka-vadya — art of playing on music in water.
  13. udaka-ghata — art of splashing water on ground.
  14. citra-yoga — art of practically applying an admixture of colors.
  15. malya-grathana-vikalpa — art of designing a preparation of wreaths or garlands.
  16. sekharapida-yojana — art of practically setting the coronet on the head.
  17. nepathya-yoga — art of practically dressing
  18. karnapatra-bhanga — art of decorating the tragus of the ear.
  19. sugandha-yukti — art of practical application of aromatics.
  20. bhushana-yojana — art of applying or setting ornaments.
  21. aindra-jala — art of jugglery.
  22. kaucumara — a kind of art.
  23. hasta-laghava — art of sleight of hand.
  24. citra-sakapupa-bhakshya-vikara-kriya — art of preparing varieties of foods – curries, soups, sweetmeats
  25. panaka-rasa-ragasava-yojana — art of preparing palatable drinks and fruit juices
  26. suci-vaya-karma — art of needleworks and weaving.
  27. sutra-krida — art of playing with thread.
  28. vina-damuraka-vadya — art of playing on lute and small x-shaped drum.
  29. prahelika — art of making and solving riddles.
    1. pratimala — art of caping or reciting verse for verse as a trial for memory or skill.
  30. durvacaka-yoga — art of practicing language difficult to be answered by others.
  31. pustaka-vacana — art of reciting books.
  32. natikakhyayika-darsana — art of enacting short plays and anecdotes.
  33. kavya-samasya-purana — art of solving enigmatic verses.
  34. pattika-vetra-bana-vikalpa — art of designing preparation of shield, cane and arrows.
  35. tarku-karma — art of spinning by spindle.
  36. takshana — art of carpentry.
  37. vastu-vidya — art of engineering.
  38. raupya-ratna-pariksha — art of testing silver and jewels.
  39. dhatu-vada — art of metallurgy.
  40. mani-raga jnana — art of judging jewels.
  41. akara jnana — art of mineralogy.
  42. vrikshayur-veda-yoga — art of practicing medicine or medical treatment, by herbs.
  43. mesha-kukkuta-lavaka-yuddha-vidhi — art of knowing the mode of fighting of lambs, cocks and birds.
  44. suka-sarika-prapalana (pralapana)? — art of maintaining or knowing conversation between male and female cockatoos.
  45. utsadana — art of healing or cleaning a person with perfumes.
  46. kesa-marjana-kausala — art of combing hair.
  47. akshara-mushtika-kathana — art of talking with fingers.
  48. mlecchita-kutarka-vikalpa — art of fabricating barbarous or foreign sophistry.
  49. desa-bhasha-jnana — art of knowing provincial dialects.
  50. pushpa-sakatika-nirmiti-jnana — art of knowing prediction by heavenly voice or knowing preparation of toy carts by flowers.
  51. yantra-matrika — art of mechanics.
  52. dharana-matrika — art of the use of amulets.
  53. samvacya — art of conversation.
  54. manasi kavya-kriya — art of composing verse mentally.
  55. kriya-vikalpa — art of designing a literary work or a medical remedy.
  56. chalitaka-yoga — art of practicing as a builder of shrines
  57. abhidhana-kosha-cchando-jnana — art of the use of lexicography and meters.
  58. vastra-gopana — art of concealment of cloths.
  59. dyuta-visesha — art of knowing specific gambling.
  60. akarsha-krida — art of playing with dice or magnet.
  61. balaka-kridanaka — art of using children's toys.
  62. vainayiki vidya — art of enforcing discipline.
  63. vaijayiki vidya — art of gaining victory.
  64. vaitaliki vidya — art of awakening master with music at dawn
  65. aaaah vidya — art of awakening sound from Mani.

Historic texts on art practices

  • Natya Shastra
    • The Natya Shastra is the leading guide to the Hindu performing arts. It is based on the Natya Veda, which no longer exists, and is roughly 37 chapters long with 6,000
      slokas.[29]

Cities dedicated to the production of art

  • Raghurajpur
    • This city is solely dedicated to the production of artwork that is driven by the divine forces of Hinduism and these artworks are produced in a traditional fashion. The city is located in Eastern India (Orissa) and at one point this city was at risk of being completely destroyed due to British rule[citation needed]. During this time religion and the power of the kings were being overthrown and as such there was no reason for a city to exist whose main purpose is to supply traditional art. After this crisis occurred the city began to exclusively base itself on agriculture until a man named Jacnnath Mopatra led a training center for chitrakars. This revolution began production of the traditional art works once again in the 1950s and since the work being produced is known internationally.[30]

Common symbols

  • Extra Limbs-Extra limbs are seen on many of the Hindu deities in paintings and sculptures. The extra limbs show how much power the god is capable of because of their ability to perform many tasks at once. Such as the goddess
    Sarasvati always has a minimum of four arms. Two of the arms will be playing a vina, representing the tuning of her knowledge, prayer beads in another hand and a scripture in another, both of these items are used to represent her devotion to her spirituality. Since she is the goddess of learning and art we see that she is very capable and very powerful in her area of expertise.[31]
  • Lotus Flower-The lotus flower is another common item seen constantly throughout the arts. The lotus flower represents purity, beauty, prosperity, fertility, and transcendence.[32] The reason the flower shows these attributes is due to the process in which the lotus flower goes through in order to blossom. The flower grows out of mud and rests atop the water in which it grows showing the hardship it must endure in order to achieve maximum beauty. Many deities have their name based on the Sanskrit word for lotus such as Lakshimi.[33]

See also

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    • References

    1. ^ "The Global Religious Landscape – Hinduism". A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Major Religious Groups as of 2010. The pew foundation. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
    2. ^ "Heart of Hinduism: Sanskrit and Sanskriti (Culture)." 2004, 30 Mar 2009. < http://hinduism.iskcon.com/lifestyle/801.htm Archived 2010-07-29 at the Wayback Machine>.
    3. ^ a b Bopearachchi, Osmund. Achaemenids and Mauryans: Emergence of Coins and Plastic Arts in India.
    4. ^
      ISBN 978-90-04-18159-5
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    5. ^ "The folk art typifies an older plastic tradition in clay and wood which was now put in stone, as seen in the massive Yaksha statuary which are also of exceptional value as models of subsequent divine images and human figures." in Agrawala, Vasudeva Sharana (1965). Indian Art: A history of Indian art from the earliest times up to the third century A. D. Prithivi Prakashan. p. 84.
    6. ^ "Various attempts were made by numismatists to identify the human figures holding various attributes, appearing on the Imperial series of the punch-marked coins dated to the 3rd century BCE. The recent article by Wilfried Pieper has proposed a comprehensive survey of these coins with Vaiṣṇava divinities. The god most probably holding a plough in his raised left hand and pestle in his raised right hand is no doubt Balarāma." in Bopearachchi, Osmund. Achaemenids and Mauryans: Emergence of Coins and Plastic Arts in India.
    7. ^ a b c Osmund Bopearachchi, 2016, Emergence of Viṣṇu and Śiva Images in India: Numismatic and Sculptural Evidence
    8. ^
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    11. ^
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    12. ^
      JSTOR 20111096
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    13. ^
      JSTOR 29756891
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    17. ^ Bautze-Picron, Claudine (2013). "A neglected Aspect of the Iconography of Viṣṇu and other Gods and Goddesses". Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Arts. XXVIII–XXIX: 81–92.
    18. JSTOR 29756891
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    19. ^ Rosenfield, John M. (1967). The Dynastic Arts of the Kushans. University of California Press. p. 93.
    20. ^ a b c d e f g h i For English summary, see page 80 Schmid, Charlotte (1997). Les Vaikuṇṭha gupta de Mathura : Viṣṇu ou Kṛṣṇa?. pp. 60–88.
    21. ^ a b "Collections-Virtual Museum of Images and Sounds". vmis.in. American Institute of Indian Studies.
    22. ^ "Because they date to a period when the Pancharatra sect was most influential, these two images are probably best identified as Chaturvyuha (or Four-Vyuha) Vishnu. The central face is that of Vishnu’s most supreme, most transcendent vyuha, or emanation, known as Vasudeva. The subsequent, less abstract vyuhas, in the form of a lion and a boar, appear at either side, with another vyuha implied at the back. The positions of the lion and boar heads differ in these two pieces, indicating that there was some disagreement about the way the viewer should read such an icon." "Brooklyn Museum". www.brooklynmuseum.org.
    23. ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9
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    24. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8
      . Retrieved 15 October 2016.; Quote: "[Goddess] Lakshmi is associated with wealth, good fortune, and prosperity, and is considered the embodiment of all these things."
    25. ISBN 978-81-208-0592-7
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    26. ^ Dr. Beck, Guy. "Hindu music, now and into the future." Hinduism Today October/November/December 2007. 28-31. <https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/october-november-december-2007/2007-10-the-magic-of-hindu-music/>
    27. ^ Boulanger, Chantal. "The Remarkable Indian Art of Draping." Hinduism Today. October/November/December 2008. 60-62. <https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/june-1998/1998-06-that-s-a-wrap/>
    28. ^ "Dance and Drama." Heart of Hinduism. 2004, 12 Mar 2009. < http://hinduism.iskcon.com/lifestyle/803.htm>
    29. ^ "Natya Shastra: Encyclopedia II." 29 Apr 2009. < http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Natya_Shastra_-_Text_and_title/id/1793036>
    30. ^ Dr. Mohanty, M.P. "Living, Painting, Worshipping Art." Hinduism Today. July/August/September 2007. 54-59. <https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/july-august-september-2007/2007-07-living-painting-worshiping-art/>
    31. ^ Stephen Knapp. "Saravasti, the Goddess of Learning." 20 Mar 2009. < http://www.stephen-knapp.com/sarasvati_goddess_of_learning.htm>
    32. ^ Anil K. Goel, Lucknow. "God's Favorite Flower." Hinduism Today. 1999. 15 Apr 2009. <https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/july-1999/1999-07-god-s-favorite-flower/>.
    33. ^ "Lotus-Hindu Symbols" Religion Facts. 2007. 15 Apr 2009. < http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/symbols/lotus.htm>.
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