Southeast Asia and Islamic Art

1. Great Stupa – A large, dome-shaped Buddhist shrine used for meditation and housing relics of the Buddha.

2. Yakshi – A female fertility figure in Indian art, often depicted with lush, sensuous forms and associated with nature.

3. Yasti – A symbolic pole or spire on top of a stupa representing the axis mundi, connecting heaven and earth.

4. Mudras – Symbolic hand gestures of the Buddha or other deities, conveying spiritual meanings.

5. Buddha – The enlightened one; a spiritual teacher who attained nirvana and is central to Buddhism.

6. Shiva – A principal Hindu deity, often depicted as a destroyer and transformer within the cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction.

7. Bodhisattvas – Enlightened beings who delay nirvana to help others achieve enlightenment.

8. Mathura Buddha – Early Indian sculptural style of the Buddha from Mathura, emphasizing robust, idealized human forms.

9. Gandhara Buddha – Buddha sculpture influenced by Greek and Roman art, featuring naturalistic drapery and Hellenistic forms.

10. Mohenjo Daro – An ancient city of the Indus Valley civilization (c. 2500 BCE) known for urban planning, drainage, and brick architecture.

11. Harappa – Another major city of the Indus Valley civilization, famous for its grid layout and standardized baked-brick buildings.

12. Chaitya Hall – A rock-cut Buddhist prayer hall with a stupa at one end, often featuring an arched ceiling.

13. Axis mundi – The “world axis” or cosmic center, often represented by a stupa or yasti connecting heaven and earth.

14. Bodhi tree – The sacred fig tree under which Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha.

15. Urna – A circular mark or dot on the Buddha’s forehead symbolizing spiritual insight.

16. Vishvanatha Temple – A Hindu temple in Khajuraho dedicated to Shiva, known for its intricate sculpture and architectural design.

17. Vishnu & Ananta – Vishnu reclining on the serpent Ananta (cosmic serpent), symbolizing preservation and cosmic balance.

18. King Ashoka – Indian emperor (3rd c. BCE) who converted to Buddhism and promoted its spread through stupas, pillars, and edicts.

Islamic Art (19–30)

19. Qibla – The direction of the Kaaba in Mecca that Muslims face when praying.

20. Mihrab – A niche in a mosque wall indicating the qibla; often decorated with calligraphy and geometric patterns.

21. Chakra – A wheel or disc symbol in South and Southeast Asian art representing cosmic order or spiritual energy; associated with Hindu and Buddhist iconography.

22. Mosque – A Muslim place of worship; typically includes a prayer hall, courtyard (sahn), mihrab, and minaret.

23. Malwiya (Snail Shell) Minaret – The spiral-shaped minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra (848–852 CE), used for calling Muslims to prayer.

24. Great Hall, Córdoba, Spain – The hypostyle prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Córdoba (8th–10th c. CE) with rows of columns, double-tiered arches, and the mihrab/maqsura area.

25. Frieze, Umayyad Palace – A decorative band of carvings or ornamentation, often geometric or vegetal, as seen in the Umayyad Palace, Damascus.

26. Dome of the Rock, Israel – Islamic shrine in Jerusalem (690 CE) built over the rock associated with Muhammad’s ascension; features an octagonal plan, mosaics, and Quranic inscriptions.

27. Sulayman Bird Ewer – 796 CE brass vessel from the Abbasid period with silver and copper inlay, decorated with bird motifs.

28. Gayumars Court – Persian miniature painting depicting the first king of Persia, Gayumars, in a lush landscape; from a manuscript commissioned in the Safavid period.

29. Call to Prayer (Adhan) – The vocal announcement from a minaret signaling the times for Muslim prayer.

30. Minaret – A tall, slender tower attached to a mosque from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer; comes in various forms including spiral (Malwiya) and cylindrical.