South Asia

Learn about Bodh Gaya, one of several sights in India associated with the birth of Buddhism.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Roopa Mohan tells a tale about the Hindu deity Ganesha with the use of an artwork in the museum’s collection.

Audio tour for The demon Maricha tries to Dissuade Ravana, approx. 1780

Experience the quiet, meditative act yourself when you create your own mandala, a geometric meditation map.

Thumri, a light vocal classical music genre is said to have evolved in North India in the mid-19th century court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow to accompany the kathak dance form, one of the eight major classical dance forms of India. This program presented by Pandit Rai and Sinha evokes the court ambience of 19th-century and early 20th-century India with a fully choreographed performance of dance, music, and storytelling, depicting the close interaction between these two major art forms.

Students explore the characters and themes in the Story of Rama, making connections between the epic and their lives today.

Trace the spread of Buddhism through close looking at Buddhist objects from different regions. Explore how artifacts reveal distinct local traditions as well as common ideas and motifs.

The River deity Ganga, approx. 800–900. India; Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan state. Sandstone. The Avery Brundage Collection, B69S3.

Lesson on the individual rituals performed by Muslim pilgrims during the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.