Hindu cultural and ritual art in our site includes objects of ritual worship performed by Hindus, including statues of deities (murti) and religious implements and objects related to puja (ritual worship). All must be beautiful and pleasing to the deities. Bali has animistic roots reflected in Balinese Hinduism. In Hindu Bali, masked dances are considered a sacred form of communication where the dancer can communicate with the gods. The masks are considered very powerful and the mask dances and historical dramas taken from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Babad Dalem are considered an offering to the Hindu gods.
Showing 13–24 of 37 results
Most Hindus have images of one or more murtis (gods and goddesses) on their home altar to help them in their daily prayers (puja), focus their attention and help visualize them. A murti is treated with the utmost respect, care and reverence but devotees never worship the objects and instead use them used only to…
Ganesh is one of the most distinctive images in Hinduism. His elephant head symbolizes the gaining of knowledge through listening (large ears) and reflection (large head). His ample belly symbolizes the whole universe contained inside him and his ability to digest whatever experiences life brings and is a sign of well-being and of his role…
Krishna, an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, is the god of love, protection and compassion and one of the most revered and popular of all Hindu deities. The focus of devotional cults for centuries, he has been a frequent inspiration for religious poetry, music and painting. This rare and exquisitely detailed antique silver pendant depicts Krishna…
Nandi is among the most frequent Hindu deities worshiped in public places, temples, homes, or on a home altar throughout India. As one of Hinduism’s mythical animals, Nandi is Shiva’s vahana, (his mount that transports him), attendant and leader of his attendants and guardian of all four-footed animals. A recumbent image of Nandi on a…
Peacocks have a long and glorious history in India. They are part of Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata and the Rigveda, India’s oldest sacred Sanskrit text. A Sanskrit verse claims “The gorgeous peacock is the glory of God.” Peacocks are intertwined with many Hindu deities: they are the vehicles (vahana) of Kartikeya the…
This framed glass folk-art painting of Krishna, the Hindu god of compassion, protection and love, was once inset as a front panel along with the Peacock Panel (3983MCE) in a decorative antique Indian cabinet or chest. In Hinduism when the world is threatened with evil, chaos or destructive forces, Vishnu descends to earth as one…
This exceptional polychrome mask (topeng in Java, tapel in Bali) of Jatayu blends Balinese ethnic and folk-art with Hindu cultural traditions. Indonesia was part of the larger Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293-1527), is now a Muslim majority but Bali remains mostly Hindu. Balinese masks are often made from a single piece of local pulai wood whose…
Balinese masks (tapel in Balinese, topeng in Java), are said to have existed since the 10th century and often are danced in sacred Hindu stories with important moral, ethical, historical and philosophical ideas, This is especially true as many come from ancient Hindu texts like ancient epics the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Babad Dalem, the…
In Bali, Indonesia, Hindu villages have a sacred collection of woodcarvings in the form of Balinese masks (topeng) danced as offerings to the gods with a gamelan percussion orchestra. Balinese dance masks are endowed with magic (tenget) ), especially. the 2 central to Balinese mythology, culture and their past of animism: Rangda and Barong. Barong…
The rare antique tribal silver amulet depicts the Hindu Gods Ganesh and his consort Parvati. Ganesh removes obstacles, brings fortune, wears a crown and joyfully holds up his trunk. His large elephant head and ears symbolize knowledge through listening and reflection and his four arms symbolize the four aspects of Hinduism, the four Vedas (ancient…
A puja tray in Hinduism consists of a bell to welcome the gods and dismiss evil, oil lamps (diya) for illumination and focus on deities, an incense burner to purify the air, container of water, a container of kumkum or sindoor powder for markings called a tikka on the forehead and a spoon for water-serving…
A belief in Hinduism is that the light and heat produced by an oil lamp and incense burner aid devotees to access the divine and to focus their attention and awareness on the images of the deities (murti) and their positive powers. Using them with fellow devotees in combination with the arati ritual (moving a…
End of content
End of content