Asian Art Chapter 2

Shiva Relief, 535-550 CE, South Wall of Great Cave, Elephanta Maharashtra

Gupta Period, Krishna killing the Horse Demon Keshi, 5th century, Terracotta

Durga Killing the Buffalo Demon Mahisha, 8th century, Sandstone

Dancing Ganesh, 10th century, mottled red sandstone

Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, Relief showing either the descent of the Ganges or Arjuna’s penance, early-mid 7th century

Mamallapuram, Tami Nadu, Dharmaraja Shrine, mid-late 7th century

Ellora, Aurangabad, Kailashanath Temple, mid-late 8th century.

Kandariya Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, 1030

Chola Period, Shiva as the Lord of Dance, 11th century, copper alloy

Detail of cover and leaf of an illustrated copy of the Ashtasahasria Pranjnaparamita, 1097, pigments on palm leaf

Braham // Vishnu // Shiva

supreme universal spirit of Vedic tradition, Hindu god of creation // a principal god of Hinduism who embodies qualities of mercy + goodness, creator of universe and repeated savior of mankind with ten avatars. // principal god of Hinduism, creator of life and destroyer of evil

veda

earliest known body of beliefs in the Indian subcontinent, believed to have been revealed by Brahman.

samsara / karma

Hindu and Buddhist term for eternal cycle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth that can only be broken by getting rid of desire and ignorance // Hindu and Buddhist term for the sum of a person’s actions in this and the previous states of existence which determines destiny in the next life

avatar

incarnation of manifestation of a deity on the earth in bodily form

yoga

ancient system of religious practice in India predicated on bodily control and meditation

linga / lintel

phallus shape that represents Shiva’s power // horizontal element of any material carried by two or more vertical shapes to create an opening

mandala 

image of the cosmos represented by arrangement of concentric circles or geometric shapes containing diagrams or images. Used by Buddhists for meditation/contemplation 

monolithic

formed of a single block of stone

tableaux

group of figures representing a scene from a story

illustrated manuscript

manuscript decorated with paintings that are illustrations of the text 

palm-leaf manuscript 

here, created in monasteries, illustrated manuscripts of the historical Buddha.