Hindu Paintings featuring Hindu gods,
Hindu goddesses, and the various Hindu pantheons are one of the most
prominent symbols of Indian and Hindu Art. On this site you will find hindu
miniature paintings of Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, Goddess Kali,
Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati, and other major Hindu icons. These artworks
have been inspired by the centuries old Hindu customs, Hindu culture, and
also the iconry as represented in the thousands of Hindu temples, scattered
all over India.
The
ancient Indian tradition of painting had survived, in a modified form, in
many areas including Rajasthan. Jain palm-leaf manuscripts, book
illustrations inspired by Persian styles and Hindu frescoes, had flourished
side by side.
At the start of the 17th
century, when relations between the Mughal and Rajput Court became closer,
many Mughal paintings travelled to Mewar (Rajasthan) and made a permanent
impact. The themes were taken from Hindu religious poetry. The rich, intense
folk colors remained. But the traditional painting on walls yielded to
miniatures and the general finish of Mughal paintings came in. Trees,
plants, birds, animals and rocks began to be painted as in nature. In
portraits
Hindu Art
paintings representing the elements of Hinduism, including Hindu gods and
episodes from the Upanishads, created in the tradition of Indian miniature
painting
"What is a guru?"
"A guru is like the
matchmaker who arranges for the union of the bride with his bridegroom.
Likewise a guru prepares for the meeting of the individual soul with his
beloved, the Divine Spirit." Actually, Sri Ramakrishna did not use the word
matchmaker, but a slang expression, which left a more forceful impression.
Then he said: "You need not worry, your guru has already been chosen."
Shiva's visual forms,
along with perhaps some kind of worship cult, had begun appearing some 5000
years ago. This denotes not only his priority over other gods of India's
religious hierarchy but also reveals the fact that his is the imagery and
iconography that evolved over a period of five millennia - perhaps the
longest period for an image, or worship tradition, to have evolved and
sustained through. And, despite such long period, as often breeds
complexities and uncompromising contradictions, Shiva's imagery reveals
wondrous unity and unique growth perspective. Shiva, the dancer; Shiva, the
archer; awe-striking Shiva; Shiva with deer; Shiva with trident-headed
spear; 'urdhvakesin' Shiva; 'urdhvalinga' Shiva; Shiva, the Mahayogi; Shiva,
the Pashupati; Shiva, the composite being; Shiva as 'linga'; Shiva and bull;
and, 'linga' and 'yoni', are by and large pre-Vedic. The Rig-Veda, with its
emphasis on the awe-striking aspect of the deity, identifies Shiva as Rudra
and sometimes as Ishan, the archer. Though variously interpreted, and
whether approved it or disapproved, the Rig-Veda twice alludes to 'Shishna-deva',
phallic deity or phallus-worshipping people. In its 'Shatarudriya-strota',
the Yajurveda assigns him various names. |
