South Asia

Amandeep Jawa discusses the “Indian-ness” in his life.

Nalini Ghuman, Associate Professor at Mills College, discusses India in the English Musical Imagination.

Asian Art Museum Art Speak interns have a conversation with artist and animator Sanjay Patel.

Religion pervades many aspects of Hindu life, and religious observance is not limited to one location, time of day, or use of a particular text. It assumes many forms: in the home, at the temple, on a pilgrimage, through yogic practices, dance or music, at the roadside, by the river, through the observation of one’s social duties and so on. Learn more.

The Hindu deity Durga victorious over the buffalo demon, 1000–1100. India; Tamil Nadu state. Granite. The Avery Brundage Collection, B64S10.

Helmet with chain mail neckguard, approx. 1820–1840. Pakistan; Probably Lahore, Punjab province. Helmet of iron overlaid with gold; mail neckguard of iron and brass. Gift of the Kapany Collection, 1998.69.

Hindu temples are numerous in form, and probably evolved from a variety of sources, including the worship of natural sites, mounds, trees, due to the need for a place to conduct ritual practices and house images of deities. Learn more.

Guru Nanak’s meeting with Praladh, from a manuscript of the Janam Sakhi (Life Stories), 1800–1900. India or Pakistan; Punjab region. Opaque watercolors and gold on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Kapany Collection, 1998.58.26. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

Guru Nanak converses with Muslim clerics, from a manuscript of the Janam Sakhi (Life Stories), 1800–1900. India or Pakistan; Punjab region. Opaque watercolors on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Kapany Collection, 1998.58.22. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.