Resources

Jatayus, the heroic king of the vultures, attempts to prevent Ravana from abducting Sita, from the Ramayana (Story of Rama), approx. 400–500. India; probably Uttar Pradesh state. Terra-cotta. Gift of the Connoisseurs’ Council, 1988.40.

Dancer and storyteller Pranita Jain from Kalapriya Center for the Indian Performing Arts leads a special interactive storytelling demonstration animating tales of King Vikramaditya with mudras (gestures) and facial expressions at the Asian Art Museum.

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.

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.

Learn about the festival in India for one of the most popular forms of the Goddess—Durga.

In groups, students will discuss how artists communicate events and characters by observing and describing scenes in the scroll containing stories of Rama’s youth. Students will compare the context of this scroll’s use with those of scrolls illustrating other epics. Then they will create a biographical scroll from the perspective of a character in the Ramayana (The Life of Rama).

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, approx. 900–1000. India; perhaps Nalanda, Bihar state. Stone. The Avery Brundage Collection, B63S44+.

Learn about the basic beliefs of Hinduism.

This video depicts a cremation ceremony for members of the Balinese royal family. There are dozens of steps in the Balinese cremation process which can take many months depending on the wealth and status of the deceased. Wealthy people often have extremely elaborate pavilions and other implements that are part of this process. When the body finally makes it to the cremation grounds, there is a pavilion built there under which stands an animal-shaped coffin. The shape of the coffin is related to the caste of the person who has died.

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