http://www.exoticindiaart.com/newsletter.php3 Exotic India presents articles on Hindu religion, Buddhism, various forms of Indian art and philosophy en-us info@exoticindiaart.com info@exoticindiaart.com PHP RSS Feed Generator
Shri Hanuman - Biography of a Masterful Servant
"In theology or tradition of devotion, no god of any pantheon in India is venerated so much for redeeming in crisis as Hanuman....Whatever Rama's attributes as the supreme God or Vishnu's incarnation, when broken hearted he wandered in search of Sita, Hanuman came to his aid....Accounts of Hanuman's birth and parentage in the Ramayana, Skanda Purana, Bhavishyottara Purana, Brahmananda Purana and some other texts are almost identical....Jain texts have quite a different legend of Hanuman's...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/hanumana.htm Tue, 15 Apr 2008
Tara and the Cult of the Female in Buddhism
"The feminine tenderness...define the epitome of Buddhist iconographic perception and art... Compassion - the softest aspect of being, man or divine, which was the core of Buddhism, best revealed itself in a female frame... The female in Buddhism...was its psychological need and comprised its spiritual structure... Tara, the principal Buddhist goddess conceived with a wide range of attributes and personality aspects, has in Buddhism the same status as Devi or Durga in the Brahmanical... White...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/goddess_tara.htm Sat, 15 Mar 2008
Saraswati From Vedas To Our Altar
"One who has her origin direct from the mouth of God is Saraswati....When talking of Ushas the Rig-Veda alludes to her as one who unveils herself to the sun as does a bride before her groom...The Rig-Veda liberally elaborates her personality, spiritual in particular - something it has not sought to do in case of most other deities...The Yajur-Veda treats her almost like a physician...The Puranas, too, take up the issue as to whether Saraswati was a river or a goddess and also seek...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/saraswati.htm Fri, 15 Feb 2008
Jatakas: A Tale-Tell Vision of Buddhism
"Jatakas were the tales that emanated direct from the mouth of the Great Master....Jatakas are the root source for a number of stories in the Pancha-tantra except that unlike the Jatakas which aimed at educating common masses the stories of the Pancha-tantra were composed for educating princes....Quite like the theory of evolution, the Buddhism saw every entity as something evolved after a long chain of births, a flower taking millions of years before it evolved as a flower.....Each Jataka has...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/jatakas.htm Tue, 15 Jan 2008
The Poetics of Pretext - Krishna's Names in the Bhagavad Gita
"Once Shri Krishna knocked at Shrimati Radharani's door....Krishna introduced himself with various names, the meanings of which were taken differently by Radharani than that intended by him....In the Bhagavad Gita there are forty different names used by Arjuna to call upon Shri Krishna.....Obeying Arjuna's command, Krishna drove the chariot in between the two armies.....Krishna is the ultimate attraction, and like a magnet drawing iron files towards it, he too naturally attracts his...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/names_of_krishna.htm Sat, 15 Dec 2007
Lost and Found: The Universal Biography of Two Swans
"It was there that the king laid his eyes on a charming damsel of superb beauty....She was of an attractive dark complexion and was wearing a yellow colored sari.....Every living entity is supposed to be the king of its own body since it has the full freedom to use the body as it likes....We sometimes wish to obtain a beautiful wife, for which Goddess Parvati needs to be worshipped....In the world, whether one is a man or a woman, one wants to enjoy.... A man wants to enjoy a beautiful woman,...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/jiva.htm Thu, 15 Nov 2007
Navaratri - Celebrating the Symbolic Vision of the Goddess
"It is only the supremely compassionate Goddess Durga who gives space in her image to the principal demon she has killed, thus ensuring that he too is worshipped along with her....The goddess as restful sleep is an apt metaphor signifying her motherhood.....While our whole day is spent in emptying our shakti, the compassionate goddess takes it on herself to continue replenishing it.....Sheds a clear enough light on the essential nature of the goddess, as no dry philosophical treatise can manage...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/navaratri.htm Mon, 15 Oct 2007
Embracing at Times Square: Learning Love from The Gopis of Vrindavan
"The only true male in this world is Krishna, while the rest all are females....Loving god is different than merely believing in him....Of all the emotions in man, kama, or desire, is the strongest because he is born due to it....The gopis of Vrindavana are the ideal teachers from whom one can learn the art of loving god....A gopi is one who keeps her love and lover secret....In the highest state of love, there is no restraining screen between lovers....As Lakshmi tenderly presses Vishnu's feet...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/gopis.htm Sat, 15 Sep 2007
Avatara - When, Why and How?
"To get to the root of the concept of avatara, we also have to understand the meaning of dharma... The Indian tradition visualizes god and man as eternal companions.... Krishna clearly states why he takes avatara.... This seems like using a missile to kill a mosquito?....Incarnation has a higher purpose than the mere killing of evildoers... What kind of example can a god lamenting for his wife set for the world?... Krishna's lila is not to be emulated but meditated upon... What sort of message...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/avatar.htm Wed, 15 Aug 2007
From Python to Prostitute: Learning from the Guru in Each
"She imagined each successive man to be a wealthy client who would give her plentiful money in return for her body....A mosquito drills through our own bodies to extract the red water that is its natural nourishment....Like the python, one should eat food obtained without any special effort....Acquisition of whatever we crave for is a certain source of misery. One who realizes this and overcomes the propensity for possession, becoming a have-not, enjoys everlasting happiness....Like a child I...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/guru.htm Sun, 15 Jul 2007
A Drop Becomes the Ocean: Bhakti and the Art of Living
"One of the travelers was a sadhu (saint). His reaction was opposite to the general one....There is no difference between god and his devotees....In the Mahabharata, Queen Draupadi once asked Krishna why he came so late to prevent her disrobing?....Here we recall Krishna, even though he is the supreme lord of the universe, running helplessly scared of his mother....When Radha woke up she saw him lying near her. From his whole form radiated her name: "Radhe Radhe." She too then fainted in...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/bhakti_sutras.htm Fri, 15 Jun 2007
Devi: A Journey Through Texts and Contexts
"Rigveda acclaims that 'he who is described as male is as much the female....When invoking her in her entirety, describing her beauty, limb to limb, these hymns did not stop short of anything....Devi Bhagavata is the foremost of scriptures that consider Devi as the Adishakti, the divine power that preceded all things, all beings and all gods....Devi Mahatmya in the Markandeya Purana and other texts relate her origin to the elimination of Mahishasura, a mighty demon who once ruled the...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/devi.htm Tue, 15 May 2007
The Gita Govinda: A Journey Into Realms Of Delight
"Krishna is realised in love and in his love reveals the supreme good; all fetters break and the loved one unites with him in absolute oneness....In between the period, when he left with Radha and made love with her, the child Krishna grows to such manhood as gives him competence to make love with a far matured woman. It was obviously a mystic magnification, not a growth on the scale of time....In the love-war passes the whole night...."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/gita_govinda.htm Sun, 15 Apr 2007
The Beauty of Beauty: An Aesthetic Journey Into The Ramayana
"To call anything beautiful is always the highest form of aesthetic praise....Sita was rendered mute like an untouched vina....Gold when heated shines in even greater splendor....Sita's braid is like a serpent, making it clear that it would be fatal for a man (except her husband) to touch her....Hanuman's quest is suggestive of a much deeper symbolism than a mere search for the 'physical' Sita....Bhakti is not a path, but the goal of life....The supreme feminine emotion is to nourish her...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sundarakanda.htm Thu, 15 Mar 2007
Parvati's Quest: Understanding the Essence of Shiva
"Shiva is an embodiment of the three principal themes of Indian philosophy....The marriage of Shiva and Parvati was preceded by a long interval of courtship. It was no ordinary engagement however....Shiva was tempted enough to touch her, and Parvati, tantalizing him, withdrew....She would exist only as an intense flame burning for Shiva....Tapasya means to gradually start bringing restraint into our lives....She was no different from the way trees live in this world....Though he possesses...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/shiva_parvati.htm Thu, 15 Feb 2007
Dying After Death: The Buddha's Final Liberation
To understand Buddha's approach to death we have to go back to his life....Death is the only certainty in this uncertain world....The only way to defeat death was to die before death....suggesting each of us to live like islands, detached from the world...."Whether my body remains or I pass away - it will be the same, because even then my Dharmakaya (the Dharma preached by me) will remain in this world."....Out of compassion for his fellow beings, Buddha continued to survive...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/parinirvana.htm Mon, 15 Jan 2007
Textiles and Costumes in Early India
"Three conventionalised modes of clothing - one, for the divine female representing fertility, abundance and beauty; two, for an ecclesiastical being; and three, for an entertainer....defined his distinction, rank and role in society. Manu prescribes Brahmins' sacred thread to be made from cotton yarn. No two figures in Ajanta murals wear a similar costume. Ajanta damsels knew multifarious styles of putting on a sari. Ordinarily, a sari was tied on pelvis wrapping both legs....It was worn on...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/textiles.htm Fri, 15 Dec 2006
Living Like Trees: The Hindu and Buddhist Ideal of Sharing
"With a guest come all the gods. If a guest is honored, so are they; if he goes away disappointed, they are disappointed too. The Bhagavad Gita calls such an opportunity a direct gateway to heaven. The householder dutifully bowed before the god arrived in the form of the dogs and their master. Buddhism lays special emphasis on placing oneself in the position of others. Dana is not only the act of giving, but the mental state of liberality as well."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/dana.htm Wed, 15 Nov 2006
The Psychology and Practice of Pleasure: Explorations in the Kama Sutra
Brahmin Shvetaketu... decided to unravel before the world an authoritative scripture channelising man's animal instincts into a disciplined practice of pleasure... he undertook to rearrange the text originally presented by Nandi, the bull of Shiva, in a thousand chapters... Vatsyayana, the celebrated author of the Kama Sutra, condensed it further into the thirty-six chapters that exist today... the intention of the Kama Sutra is to link pleasure with virtue, and it is all about not being a...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/kama_sutra.htm Sun, 15 Oct 2006
From Heaven to Household: The Many Tales of Shakti
"A virgin blooming with fresh youth, the luster of her body was like the rising sun. Three-eyed, her face was endowed with the beauty of ten million cupids (Kamadeva)...Blossoming breasts which surpassed even the buds of a lotus (in softness)...Wishing to pay obeisance to her, the gods then got down from their chariot and approached the goddess. No sooner had they done so than she transformed them all into beautiful, young maidens....A weak man is declared to be without any Shakti, nobody says...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sakti.htm Fri, 15 Sep 2006
Ajanta: A Journey Into the Religio-Aesthetic Kingdom of Buddhist Art
"Coleridge is not known to have ever seen Ajanta but in his words reverberates the same mystique as one experiences when visiting Ajanta....imagery at times was closer to flesh rather than spirit....Even the figure of the monk Mahajanaka has been modeled much on sensuous lines.Ajanta sculptures reveal a conscious attempt at capturing the grace, sublimity and spirituality....Ajanta sculptures are mostly reliefs. The Mahayana variation of Buddhism promoted polytheism in Buddhism and with it the...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/ajanta.htm Tue, 15 Aug 2006
The Narrative Essence of Buddhist Art
"The Buddhist art, which... revolutionized the art scenario of the entire ancient Indian sub-continent, was essentially a narrative art.... In that age with little literacy... oral and visual narration... was the traditional tool of... stimulating a mind to know; and, the Buddhist art seems to have best exploited it... Narration... was thus the prime or perhaps the only mode of communication in the entire ancient world, not India alone...Buddhist art was conceived thus more or less as a...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddhistart.htm Sat, 15 Jul 2006
Krishna's Dance with the Female Cowherds - A Joyous, Spiritual Narrative
"After having returned the clothes of the unclad maidens bathing in the sacred waters of river Yamuna, Krishna congratulated them for their unflinching devotion towards him and promised that he would sport with them during the forthcoming autumn nights...The gopis' escape from the shackles of worldly life was not however without event...Truly, Krishna is the ultimate attraction, much like a magnet draws iron files towards it...whatever emotion is directed towards god, it should be intense and...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/rasalila.htm Thu, 15 Jun 2006
Lord Mahavira and His Philosophy
"Born in an era of social disparity, killing and violence ....Lord Mahavira emerged as a reformist, thinker, law-giver and guide....re-defined sanctity and potentialities of individual self - 'jiva' ...in attaining salvation - 'nirvana', by its own doing...the ultimate aim that he set before all 'jivas' was: 'parasparopagraha jeevanam'...Lord Mahavira was the last of the twenty-four 'Thirthankaras' of the concurrent eon...At about 30 years of age, he renounced the world after duly seeking his...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mahavira.htm Mon, 15 May 2006
Dance: The Living Spirit of Indian Arts
"In Indian tradition dance was...a divine dimension of the man's act... The dancer...sublimated his own self...and united with the supreme Self... The ancient Indian mind...had unique reverence for dance... it conceived its gods as dancers discovering in dance the accomplishment of their assigned functions, ranging from creation to annihilation, and the divine grace - an essential attribute of gods... The tradition...acclaims Shiva as both, the first exponent of dance and the first linguist......]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/dance.htm Sat, 15 Apr 2006
Lotus: From a Pond to a Palace Dome
"(The) lotus...has more symbolic applications - material and spiritual, than has any other symbol in India's arts, religions and systems of thought... lotus as a flower had an early presence, at least during the Indus days if not before... (The) lotus attained great significance in Buddhism even before Buddha was born, and emperor Ashoka must have been acquainted with it when he chose a lotus motif for his pillars... (The) mystic character of lotus inspired the Buddhist mind...to bow to it in...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/lotus.htm Wed, 15 Mar 2006
Cultivating Loneliness: The Ethical Fragrance of Yoga
"...'When an individual is firmly established in non-violence (ahimsa), all beings who come near him also cease to be hostile'... Patanjali is the author of the de facto text of yoga - 'The Yoga Sutra.'... Patanjali's scripture not only provides yoga with a thorough and consistent philosophical basis, but in the process, also clarifies many important esoteric concepts (like karma), common to all traditions of Indian thought... Patanjali's is a far-sighted vision of universal humanity... The...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/yogasutras.htm Wed, 15 Feb 2006
The Forms of Shiva in Visual Arts
"Shiva's...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... Shiva's imagery reveals wondrous unity and unique growth perspective... there is absolute unanimity in regard to the fact that he had iconic presence much before the Vedas came into being... Shiva has been conceived in visual arts as timeless youth, though sometimes with moustaches defining an advanced...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/formsofshiva.htm Sun, 15 Jan 2006
I am God: Autobiographical Fragments from the Bhagavad Gita
"The Bhagavad Gita consists of seven hundred verses. Out of these, a massive 574 have been uttered by Krishna himself, giving us an unparalleled insight into the true nature of divinity... (It) is in many ways God's picture album filled with self-portraits... The Great Teacher knows that human intellect is but naturally attracted to what it perceives to be extraordinary. This is made explicit when he defines himself to be 'the brilliance of all that is brilliant and the splendor of all that is...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/bhagavadgita.htm Thu, 15 Dec 2005
Kuan Yin, The Compassionate Rebel
"...karuna is central to the entire Buddhist tradition. It is frequently described as a love for all beings, equal in intensity to a mother's affection for her child... the defining symbol of...the Chinese assimilation of Buddhism...is the goddess...Kuan Yin...who with her sweet and merciful disposition, has won the hearts of not only the Chinese, but also profoundly affected even those who, belonging to a foreign tradition, have only had a fleeting interaction with her... Kuan Yin is the...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/kuanyin.htm Tue, 15 Nov 2005
Delight of Senses: The Indian Way of Seeing It(A Discourse on Indian Theory of Rasa in Relation to Visual Arts)
"Senses delight all and have delighted always, but Indian theorists were perhaps the earliest to perceive the delight of senses as the essence of being - a phenomenon of mind sublimating spiritually... man's 'bhava-jagat'...(emotional world)...alone comprised the theme of poetry, drama, sculpture, or painting. The spectator - 'rasika', as he is called, witnesses a dramatic performance for the enjoyment of 'Rasa'... This 'Rasa'... - the delight which the spectator experienced when witnessing an...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/rasa.htm Sat, 15 Oct 2005
Love, The Living Spirit of Khajuraho
"Kapalika tantrikas believed that...instinct to love, Kama, was body's...enlivening strength...which charged in sexual union prepared body...soul and mind for harbouring all pleasurable sensations which finally led to parmananda...when...self united with and merged into universal or cosmic self...Khajuraho (was) its best laboratory... Khajuraho temples have hundreds of sculptures portraying various positions of coition and love making... which the modern mind would consider obscene and ...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/khajuraho.htm Thu, 15 Sep 2005
Serpents, Spirals and Prayers - A Journey Through Symbolic Forms in Jewelry
"...notwithstanding the injunctions to the contrary, the moon as a symbol continued to fascinate humans... the appearance of the new crescent was often greeted with joy as a return of the moon from the dead... It is...auspicious to craft the crescent out in silver... (The) active engagement of the two principles...(of) opposites in dynamic harmony...was given visual form in an ingenious diagram known in Chinese as the Tai Chi Tu (Yin Yang)... The spiral is one of the oldest pagan symbols in...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/symbolicjewelry.htm Mon, 15 Aug 2005
Healing Through Faith and Love - A Case Study of Sri Ramakrishna
"Girish's...intellect continued to refuse to accept (Sri Ramakrishna) as a guru... (He) asked..."What is a guru?" (Sri Ramakrishna replied)..."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..." Ramakrishna...asked a disciple to sing..."Go into solitude and shut yourself in a cave. Peace is not there. Peace is where faith is, for faith is the root of...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/ramakrishna.htm Fri, 15 Jul 2005
Ardhanarishvara in Art and Philosophy
"Barring a few exceptions, the right half of the Ardhanarishvara images comprises of male anatomy and the left that of the female. A few images, obviously influenced by Shakta cult, have a vice versa placing of the male and female parts also.... Despite a similar anatomy of the two parts, the female part imparts the feeling of elegance and tenderness. An elegantly modeled prominent breast is the essentiality of the female anatomy.... A Greek myth also comes out with a hermaphroditic form....]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/ardhanarishvara.htm Wed, 15 Jun 2005
Forms of the Formless - an Interpretive Study of the Indian Trinity
"Though by their fundamental nature arts are conditioned to use form even for representing the abstract, yet they perceive this duality- the Formless appearing with a form... the Divines and mortals are just components of the same composite whole, which is existence... It is this perception of the Indian mind...that discovers the Divine in mortals and the aspects of the born ones in the Divine... cosmic activity has three aspects - the creation, the preservation and the dissolution... (the)...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/trinity.htm Sun, 15 May 2005
Fiction in Mughal Miniature Painting
"Fiction in Mughal miniatures...are widely considered the couriers of realism in Indian art... the art is as appropriate a vehicle of fiction as the literature. Art does not always have tales to tell but is also not without them. The miniature art inclines to be realistic but even in portraying the real it often takes recourse to fiction... Realism, whether in art or literature, is not fiction's antithesis. On the contrary, it is as much an aspect of fiction as that of the realistic art... the...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mughalminiature.htm Fri, 15 Apr 2005
Sita - The Silent Power of Suffering and Sacrifice
"people all over India will say approvingly for someone: "He is a Rama like son, a Rama like brother, or a Rama like king. " It is rare however to hear the following as a compliment "Rama like husband or son-in-law."... All of Sita's miseries in the confinement of Ravana pale in comparison...to the emotional trauma and humiliation she was subjected to by Rama himself. In a bitter irony, what was to be her moment of deliverance, turned out to be the beginning of another trial... Sita sets a high...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sita.htm Tue, 15 Mar 2005
Life of Shankaracharya - The Adventures of a Poet Philosopher
"Shankaracharya's philosophical outlook can be summed up in one word Advaita, 'Dvaita' meaning duality and the prefix 'A' negating it... The goal of Advaita is to make an individual realize his or her essential (spiritual) identity with the supreme realty Brahman... Shankara was not the founder of the theory of Advaita... What he however did was to bring all the various streams of Indian thought...under the common roof of Advaita... In addition to composing numerous texts and verses delineating...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/shankaracharya.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005
The Many Forms of Mahakala, Protector of Buddhist Monasteries
"Each of the three forms of Mahakala has some distinctly different qualities and aspects.... The continuous counting of the rosary is a symbol of perpetual activity, which Mahakala achieves on a cosmic scale.... An elephant-headed entity lying crushed under his legs represents our instinctive, primary animal force and urge... The blazing fire surrounding him demonstrates his powerful energy out to consume all neurotic states of minds.... Mahakala's typical blackness symbolizes his...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mahakala.htm Sat, 15 Jan 2005
Awakening the Inner Woman - Bhakti and the Doctrine of Love
"The intense passion of Mirabai, which sought to model itself on the fervent ardor of the gopis of Vrindavana, suggests that the lord can be worshipped very effectively if the devotee imagines himself to be a woman... Chaitanya's mystic-ecstatic form of worship openly encouraged male devotees to imagine themselves in the role of gopis... the female...is the more emotional of the two sexes, and bhakti being a necessarily emotional experience, Chaitanya's 'hyper-sentimentality' found adequate...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/bhakti.htm Wed, 15 Dec 2004
The Iconographic Genesis of Shiva
"Shiva, the Mahadeva, represents...dissolution or destruction of the cosmos...(among) the functional aspects of God, namely, the creation, preservation and dissolution (of the cosmos)... Brahma and Vishnu have their roots in the Vedas, and not before. Shiva has a pre-Vedic origin, as his worship cult seems to have been in vogue amongst the Indus dwellers, even around 3000 B.C... excavated material includes a number of terracotta seals representing a yogi icon and the phallus type baked clay...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/lordshiva.htm Mon, 15 Nov 2004
Exploring Karma - Tales of a Universal Principle
"The word karma is derived from the Sanskrit root 'kri,' meaning 'to do,' implying that all action is karma. Technically, the term incorporates both an action and its consequence... we...confront a dilemma...namely, the relative impurity and purity of an action... What determines the nature of the karma is the will or intention behind an act... We read in the Bhagavad Gita again and again that we must all work incessantly. There it is also mentioned that all work by nature is...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/karma.htm Fri, 15 Oct 2004
Iconographic Perception of Krishna's Image
"Lord Krishna...is now for centuries the most cherished theme of arts in India... Unlike Lord Vishnu, who he incarnates, Krishna is...an entity beyond time, without end and without beginning... He has been represented in visual arts... but no...form could ever define him... Forms decompose, erode and are subject to transition, Krishna is not... He exists in what he creates, yet is always beyond it. Thus, all are his forms and yet he is beyond them all... This defines Lord Krishna related art...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/krishnaimage.htm Wed, 15 Sep 2004
The Mystery of Hanuman - Inspiring Tales from Art and Mythology
"In Hindu symbolism, a monkey signifies the human mind, which is ever restless and never still... Hanuman is symbolic of the perfect mind, and embodies the highest potential it can achieve... Hanuman's name...illustrates his self-effacing character, being made up of 'hanan' (annihilation) and 'man' (mind), thus indicating one who has conquered his ego... Hanuman never threatens the world with his virility unlike say Shiva whose virility often has to be restrained by goddess Kali... He is...a...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/hanuman.htm Sun, 15 Aug 2004
Mughal Miniature Painting - An Alternative Source of History
"The art of painting is often made to face a question: Is it an instrument that calibrates past... whether art is different from history or is only one of its alternative sources...haunt the minds of art critics and as often the conference halls of academic institutions... our mind is always keen to discover in art, whatever its genre, the world that it realizes through its senses or by its intellect and other faculties... Mughal art better reveals the world of Mughal days than do written...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mughal.htm Thu, 15 Jul 2004
Conception and Evolution of The Mother Goddess in India
"The Mother Goddess is India's supreme Divinity... In fury or in frown, she is always the same protective, caring, loving Mother with a benign face and a blessing hand... In her material manifestation, She represents, with absolute motherhood, also the absolute womanhood. She causes life and sustains it, and is also the cause of life, its inspiration and aspiration, and the reason to live... She is the eternal upholder of Dharma and truth, the promoter of happiness and the giver of salvation...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mother.htm Tue, 15 Jun 2004
Evolution of the Buddha Image
"...the first ever image defined by humanity was not a thing chiseled to a likeness, but such likeness was only discovered in it...the image of the Divine, discovered or made, and its worship, were quite in vogue much before Buddha's days...Buddhist themes first make their appearance in...a number of monolithic pillars surmounted with animal capitals aiming at invoking man's reverence for all creatures, which was the prime thrust of Buddhism...the mind of the Buddhist sculptor, which had so far...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/lordbuddha.htm Sat, 15 May 2004
Putting The Ocean in a Bowl - The Origin of the Buddha Image
"The Buddha image...has constantly been under debate as to its origin and evolution...Some believe that the first Buddha image had come into being during the lifetime of the Buddha himself...For most scholars however...he earliest Buddha images come from around...some five hundred year after Buddha's Mahaparinirvana...early Buddhist art...sought to represent him by a number of symbols, or material motifs, which had remained associated with him...These motifs, the empty throne and stupa in...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddhaimage.htm Thu, 15 Apr 2004
The Life of Buddha and the Art of Narration in Buddhist Thangka Paintings
"In its characteristic unique way, Buddhist thought divides the eventful life of its founder into twelve glorious "events." These defining incidents of his life are given visual form in densely packed sequences narrated in a special genre of paintings... These artworks not only delineate Buddha's gradual progress towards spiritual enlightenment, but also present a visual depiction of a vast number of abstract philosophical notions underlying esoteric Buddhism..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/lifeofbuddha.htm Mon, 15 Mar 2004
Nepal - Adventures in a Living Museum
"One enters Nepal as a traveler, and leaves as a pilgrim... Nepal is the ideal place to rise above the theoretical... textbooks, and see the twin strands of Tantra and Shamanism... rooted in the eternal and faithful depths of Hinduism, and tempered by the sobering influence of Buddhism... the gods of Nepal do not represent a forgotten era of the past. The deities here are living, and participate in the ordinary existence of everyday life as much as we mere mortals do..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/nepal.htm Sun, 15 Feb 2004
The Ideals of Motherhood - Aesthetics of Form and Function
"providence has blessed women with the primary responsibility of the perpetuation of the human race. Understandably her physical body has been richly endowed for this glorious function To the connoisseur of Indian aesthetics, the profusion of voluptuous women dominating its canvas comes as no surprise But while celebrating the female body in glorious images the artist never loses sight of the fact that whatever nature creates, it creates with a purpose. No form is accidental and every natural...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/motherhood.htm Thu, 15 Jan 2004
Playing with Krishna - God as Child in Art and Mythology
"Wordsworth... said: 'Heaven lies about us in our infancy.'... as an infant and a child, Krishna is approachable... He can be approached with the intimacy with which a parent approaches a child... Such a god invites man to dispense with cumbersome formality and come to him openly, delighting in him intimately... Krishna's incarnation represents the human dimension of the divine... Krishna removes the poison of evil from this world while he joyously feeds on a mother's bosom... God as an infant...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/lordkrishna.htm Mon, 15 Dec 2003
Buddha and Christ - Two Gods on the Path to Humanity
"Christ and Buddha, two manifestations of divinity, showed us that true salvation lies only on the path of humanity and compassion towards all. Indeed, through their humanity they are both related to us, and through their divinity, to god... 'Buddha and Christ are but local inflections of a universal archetype: the Cosmic Person imaging wholeness.'... Just as Buddha gained enlightenment by conquering the five senses, Christ, pinned in five places... nails down the five senses... Since they both...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddhaandchrist.htm Sat, 15 Nov 2003
The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism - A Study in Spiritual Evolution
"Buddhism has evolved over the centuries a complex, yet discernable scheme of symbolism which has found adequate expression in Buddhist art... Buddhist motifs [are] soaked in rich spiritual symbolism... [They are] said to represent Buddha's deep and resonant voice, through which he introduced his followers to the path of dharma... Undoubtedly, the most popular of such symbols is the group of eight, known in Sanskrit as 'Ashtamangala,' ashta meaning eight and mangala meaning auspicious. Each of...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/symbols.htm Wed, 15 Oct 2003
The Rhythm of Music - A Magical and Mystical Harmony
"Mysticism is the inherent desire to seek oneness with the ultimate reality... the sense organs provide the only window to perceive this supreme state of being... This state is non-material, just like music is... the first musical instrument was the human body itself, and the first created music, the human voice... In mysticism, everything is vibration... all material forms made up of vibrations... The drum, through its rhythms, replicates these vibrations... the beating together of cymbals is...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/music.htm Mon, 15 Sep 2003
Ganga The River Goddess - Tales in Art and Mythology
"Ganga is...(the) divine grace flowing on to our material world, as is visible in the prosperity of the fertile and rich crop-yielding regions adjacent to her banks... The intense devotion and love which her devotees feel for Ganga is no small measure due to the fact that she is the only accessible physical entity that flows both in the heavens and on the earth... Ganga is a river that has been at the core of sacred Hindu lore and tradition... As a mother, Ganga is tangible, approachable, and...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/ganga.htm Fri, 15 Aug 2003
The Five Meditating Buddhas - An Enquiry into Spiritual Aesthetics
"The five Dhyani Buddhas represent the five basic types of human personality and demonstrate the absolutely perfected form of these personality types... It is an ample demonstration of the genius of Vajrayana Buddhism that... weaknesses are not denied or suppressed... hope lies in the belief that the human mind holds within itself the potential to metamorphose these negative traits into positive attributes... All the five Dhyani Buddhas are said to have originated from Vajrasattva himself......]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/dhyanibuddhas.htm Tue, 15 Jul 2003
The Shiva Linga - Images of Cosmic Manhood in Art and Mythology
"Shiva is worshipped in the form of the male organ of procreation, often alone, and frequently conjoined with the corresponding female organ, which is sculpted as a receptacle to receive Shiva's seed... The distinctive sign by which one can recognize the nature of something is called lingam... The linga is... a great equalizer... worshippers, regardless of sex, caste, or creed... (pour) generous libations on the linga, while simultaneously caressing it intimately... Shiva's liberated phallus...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/shivalinga.htm Sun, 15 Jun 2003
The Hindu Temple - Where Man Becomes God
"The Hindu Temple (dissolves) the boundaries between man and divinity... by putting into practice the belief that the temple, the human body, and the sacred mountain and cave, represent aspects of the same divine symmetry... The thought behind the design of a temple is a continuation of Upanishadic analogy, in which the atman (soul or the divine aspect in each of us) is likened to an embryo within a womb or to something hidden in a cave... Temples appeared on the horizon only in the...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/hindutemple.htm Thu, 15 May 2003
Buddha - A Hero's Journey to Nirvana
"The Buddha's journey to spiritual awakening or 'Nirvana,'... perfectly mirrors the ... progressive development of a hero... Not at ease with his immediate environment... a constant unease gnaws at his heart, prompting him to question the very nature of his existence. This inner strife is the first inkling that a greater destiny lies ahead of the potential hero... Buddha was born an ordinary mortal. His path to fulfillment... was a journey full of exciting experiences and mistakes made. He...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddha.htm Tue, 15 Apr 2003
Shakti - Power and Femininity in Indian Art
"The earliest term applied to the divine feminine... is Shakti... Specifically, Shakti means power, force and feminine energy. She represents the fundamental creative instinct underlying the cosmos, and is the energizing force of all divinity, of every being and every thing... The yoni or female generative organ is... venerated for its obvious properties of fertility and growth... While Durga is the most potent icon to express the aggressive and destructive behavior of Shakti, Lakshmi is the...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/shakti.htm Sat, 15 Mar 2003
The Stupa - Yoga's Sacred Architecture
"Since its beginnings in India, Buddhism has spread over an area... wherever you travel throughout this vast area, there is one type of architectural monument which is everywhere... This ubiquitous Buddhist monument is the stupa... it was the Buddha himself who outlined the basic design of the stupa... The Buddha's physical form... finds an echo in the stupa... The stupa by virtue of being the monument of Buddha's choice is deemed especially sacred... The spiritual merit of this monument is...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/stupa.htm Sat, 15 Feb 2003
Vishnu - A Symbolic Appreciation
"'The world rests as the lotus in the palm of my hand, the cosmos revolves around my finger like a discus. I blow the music of life through my conch and wield my mace to protect all creatures'... Vishnu is the Preserver, the protector of all humanity. A deity who saves mankind from calamities which result from its own foibles... (a) popular icon of Vishnu shows him in a dreamlike state reclining upon a mighty serpent and floating upon the primordial waters. Vishnu in his dream state represents...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/vishnu.htm Wed, 15 Jan 2003
The Philosophy of Yoga - An Aesthetic Appraisal
"Human nature is like a chariot yoked to a team of powerful horses. One of them is prana (breath), the other is vasana (desire)...the yogi masters the science of breath and by the regulation and control of breath, he controls the mind and stills its constant movement...Yoga is one of the most ancient spiritual concepts of East, and despite a philosophical look it has an equally significant physical basis...Yoga is a collection of simple practices...consisting of action, method and...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/yoga.htm Sun, 15 Dec 2002
The Wheel of Life - Aesthetics of Suffering and Salvation
"'The Wheel of Life'...serves as a powerful inspiration to spiritual aspirants...to look deeply into their own inner beings...it is an attempt to convey spiritual insights behind our 'physical existence' in purely visual terms...(It) symbolically represents how...beings, who have not practiced the Dharma and liberated themselves, are bound in a cycle of existences whose very nature is suffering...One should intently and seriously contemplate the meaning of this wheel...Once this happens, the...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/wheeloflife.htm Fri, 15 Nov 2002
A Kali in Every Woman: Motherhood and the Dark Goddess Archetype
"It is well established in the canons of Indian thought that every woman mirrors in herself the divine feminine... Envisioned as totally naked, the visual tales of her terrible form do not end with her dense black color or with the skirt made up of decapitated hands...(or) the necklace made up of heads she has severed from the torsos of beings...The truth behind the mystery of Kali, it seems, is to not be found by a conventional appraisal of her physical appearance....it is the female of the...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/motherkali.htm Tue, 15 Oct 2002
Dance of the Yogini: Images of Aggression in Tantric Buddhism
"Iconographic representations tend to show the dakini as a young, naked figure in a dancing posture, often holding a skull cup filled with menstrual blood or the elixir of life in one hand, and a curved knife in the other. She may wear a garland of human skulls, with a trident staff leaning against her shoulder. Her hair is usually wild and hanging down her back, and her face often wrathful in expression, as she dances on top of a corpse, which represents her complete mastery over ego and...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/dakini.htm Sun, 15 Sep 2002
Rama The Ideal Man: The Epic Adventure of a Hero
"Nobility is always a defining quality of the mythic hero. His actions are severe and punishing, or gentle as per the demand of the situation...(The) supreme display of detached attachment was worthy of Rama... Rama was a man. He was also a god...he inspires all of us 'ordinary' mortals to follow the path of a just and upright existence, unswerving in our faith of the correctness of it. This is the true inner journey of the hero, leading to the divine spark that blazes inside each of us,...]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/rama.htm Thu, 15 Aug 2002
Each of us a Healer: Medicine Buddha and the Karma of Healing
"Karma is both action and the consequence of that action...if we want to create happiness in our own lives, we must learn to sow the seeds of happiness for others...In Buddhist tradition the first and primordial healer was the great Buddha himself...The Buddhist tradition identifies the Medicine Buddha as the ideal healer, and it also stresses that the utmost powers of healing lie within our own selves."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/medicinebuddha.htm Mon, 15 Jul 2002
The Bodhisattva Ideal - Buddhism and the Aesthetics of Selflessness
"A bodhisattva wishes to help all beings attain nirvana. He must therefore refuse to enter nirvana himself, as he cannot apparently render any services...after his own nirvana... A bodhisattva can never love the body for its own sake... he cherishes it...because he will...save someone sometime somewhere... in the moment of tribulation."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/bodhisattva.htm Sat, 15 Jun 2002
Wisdom Goddesses - Mahavidyas and the Assertion of Femininity in Indian Thought
"Iconographically, they (Mahavidyas) are individually shown dominating male deities. Kali and Tara are shown astride Shiva, while others like Shodashi sit on the body of Shiva... By subverting... conventional social norms, the adept seeks to liberate his or her consciousness from the... inhibiting categories of proper and improper, good and bad, polluted and pure."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mahavidyas.htm Wed, 15 May 2002
Shiva - The Sensuous Yogi
"God of eroticism, Shiva is... the master of Yoga, which is described as the method used to sublimate virile power and transform it into mental and intellectual power. He is therefore the 'great Yogi.'... 'I have never renounced any vice: it is they who have left me' summarizes the message of Shiva."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/shiva.htm Mon, 15 Apr 2002
Women and Jewelry - The Spiritual Dimensions of Ornamentation
"...each and every part of the feminine physique... have consistently been used to support ornaments... the simple appearance without ornament is "not enough"... Hence the stress on adornment of the women, who are but the poetry of nature..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/jewelry.htm Fri, 15 Mar 2002
Color Symbolism In Buddhist Art
"...there exists in Buddhism the concept of a rainbow body... the rainbow body signifies the awakening of the inner self to the complete reservoir of terrestrial knowledge that it is possible to access before stepping over the threshold to the state of Nirvana..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/colors.htm Fri, 15 Feb 2002
Every Woman a Goddess - The Ideals of Indian Art
"...the originator of families, the preserver of the established order and the perpetuator of traditions...As the Great Goddess rules the heavens, her earthly counterpart, the woman, rules the home..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/goddess.htm Tue, 15 Jan 2002
Om - An Inquiry into its Aesthetics, Mysticism, and Philosophy
"...God first created sound, and from these sound frequencies came the phenomenal world... Matter itself is said to have proceeded from sound and OM is said to be the most sacred of all sounds. It is the syllable which preceded the universe and from which the gods were created..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/om.htm Sat, 15 Dec 2001
Namaste - The Significance of a Yogic Greeting
"...the sacred sound 'namaste' is believed to have a quasi-magical value, corresponding to a creative energy change. This transformation is that of aligning oneself in harmony with the vibration of the cosmos itself...."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/namaste.htm Thu, 15 Nov 2001
Islam - Aesthetics of a Mystic Religion
"...Islamic art conveys the spirituality and quintessential message of Islam through a timeless language which precisely because of its timelessness as well as its direct symbolism..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/islam.htm Mon, 15 Oct 2001
Tantra - The Art of Philosophy
"...art which has evolved out of tantra... is especially intended to convey a knowledge evoking a higher level of perception, and tapping dormant sources of our awareness..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/yantra.htm Sat, 15 Sep 2001
Mudras of the Great Buddha: Symbolic Gestures and Postures
"...symbolic sign based finger patterns taking the place, but retaining the efficacy of the spoken word, and are used to evoke in the mind ideas symbolizing divine powers or the deities..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mudras.htm Wed, 15 Aug 2001
Parvati the Love Goddess: Tales of Marriage and Devotion in Art and Mythology]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/parvati.htm Sun, 15 Jul 2001
Ritual Implements in Tibetan Buddhism: A Symbolic Appraisal]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/ritual.htm Fri, 15 Jun 2001
The Taj Mahal - Architecture of a Love Story]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/tajmahal.htm Tue, 15 May 2001
Durga - Narrative Art of an 'Independent' Warrior Goddess
"...The Great Goddess Durga was born from the energies of the male divinities...The awesome three-eyed Goddess was adorned with the crescent moon...seas trembled as the Goddess engaged the Great Demon Mahisasura...Thus the reveries of Mahisa are exterminated..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/durga.htm Sun, 15 Apr 2001
The Indian Sari - Fashioning the Female Form
"The Sari, it is said, was born on the loom of a fanciful weaver. He dreamt of a Woman. The shimmer of her tears. The drape of her tumbling hair. The colors of her many moods. The softness of her touch. All these he wove together. He couldn't stop. He wove for many yards. And when he was done, the story goes, he sat back and smiled and smiled and smiled".]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/theindiansari.htm Thu, 15 Mar 2001
Wrathful Guardians of Buddhism - Aesthetics and Mythology]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/wrathful.htm Thu, 15 Feb 2001
Shiva as Nataraja - Dance and Destruction In Indian Art]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/nataraja.htm Mon, 15 Jan 2001
Lakshmi and Saraswati - Tales in Mythology and Art
The role of the goddess as one who fulfills wishes has remained one of enduring strength and consequence. In the ancient collection of sacred hymns known as the Veda, this aspect of the goddess already becomes manifest. The two most shining examples in this context are The Great Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati.]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/lakshmiandsaraswati.htm Fri, 15 Dec 2000
Green Tara and White Tara - Feminist Ideals in Buddhist Art]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/tara.htm Wed, 15 Nov 2000
Ganesha - the Elephant Headed God, Art and Mythology
"The beloved elephant-faced-Deity popularly known as Ganesha has intrigued thinking men all over the world... Ganesha is usually depicted either as a pictograph or as an idol with the body of a man and the head of an elephant... The image of Ganesha thus represents man's eternal striving towards integration with nature..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/ganesha.htm Sun, 15 Oct 2000
The Mandala - Sacred Geometry and Art
The word mandala itself is derived from the root manda, which means essence, to which the suffix la, meaning container, has been added. Thus, one obvious connotation of mandala is that it is a container of essence]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mandala.htm Fri, 15 Sep 2000
Mother Goddess as Kali - The Feminine Force in Indian Art
Kali's fierce appearances have been the subject of extensive descriptions in several earlier and modern works. Though her fierce form is filled with awe- inspiring symbols, their real meaning is not what it first appears]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/kali.htm Tue, 15 Aug 2000
Love and Passion in Tantric Buddhist Art
"...The word Tantra itself is derived from the verbal root tan, meaning to 'weave'...Often the mother is shown in a posture with both legs around the father's waist...refer to the union of a lotus and vajra..."]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/tantra.htm Sat, 15 Jul 2000
Birds and Animals in Indian Art - The Mughal Artist as a Naturalist]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/nature.htm Thu, 15 Jun 2000
The Life of Buddha in Legend and Art
"...The young prince Gautama Siddhartha was born into the ancient Sakya clan...he learned in a few days the sciences suitable to his race...Intrigued by his first encounter with old age...Four weeks after he began meditating under the Bodhi tree...on the night of a full moon, Sakyamuni attained enlightenment"]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/gautambuddha.htm Mon, 15 May 2000
Krishna the Divine Lover in Indian Art
"...Krishna was physically irresistibly appealing... In the embrace of Krishna, the gopis, maddened with desire, found refuge...Often the colorful legends surrounding his amorous adventures with female friends prove to be of supreme inspiration to artists"]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/krishna.htm Sat, 15 Apr 2000
Sacred Buddhist Painting - The Tibetan Thangka
A Thangka is a painted or embroidered banner which was hung in a monastery or a family altar and carried by lamas in ceremonial processions. In Tibetan the word 'than' means flat and the suffix 'ka' stands for painting. The Thangka is thus a kind of painting done on flat surface but which can be rolled up when not required for display.]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/thangkas.htm Wed, 15 Mar 2000
Technique of Batik Art]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/batikart.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2000
Technique of Pata Chitra]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/paata.htm Sat, 15 Jan 2000
An Introduction to Madhubani Paintings]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/madhubanipaintings.htm Wed, 15 Dec 1999
The Use of Colors in the Rajput School of Miniature Paintings]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/rajput.htm Mon, 15 Nov 1999
Mughal School of Art]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mughalschool.htm Fri, 15 Oct 1999
Tanjore Paintings]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/tanjorepaintings.htm Wed, 15 Sep 1999
Technique of Indian Miniature Paintings]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/miniaturepaintings.htm Sun, 15 Aug 1999
Method of Preparing Colors by Miniature Painting Artists]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/colorsinminiaturepaintings.htm Thu, 15 Jul 1999
Preparation of Brushes by Miniature Painting Artists]]> http://www.exoticindiaart.com/miniaturepaintingbrushes.htm Tue, 15 Jun 1999