Hindu art encompasses the artistic traditions and styles culturally connected to Hinduism and have a long history of religious association with Hindu scriptures, rituals and worship.
Background Hinduism, with its 1.2 billion followers, is the religion of about 15-16 % of the world's population and as such the culture that ensues it is full of different aspects of life that are effected by art. There are 64 traditional arts that are followed that start with the classics of music and range all the way to the application and adornment of jewellery."Heart of Hinduism: Sanskrit and Sanskriti (Culture)." 2004, 30 Mar 2009. < http://hinduism.iskcon.com/lifestyle/801.htm >. Since religion and culture are inseparable with Hinduism recurring symbols such as the gods and their reincarnations, the lotus flower, extra limbs, and even the traditional arts make their appearances in many sculptures, paintings, music, and dance.
History Earliest depictions of Hindu deities (3rd-2nd centuries BCE)
It is thought that before the adoption of stone sculpture, there was an older tradition of using clay or wood to represent Indian deities, which, because of their inherent fragility, have not survived."The folk art typifies an older plastic tradition in clay and wood which was now put in stone, as seen in the massive Yaksha statuary which are also of exceptional value as models of subsequent divine images and human figures." in
There are no remains of such representations, but an indirect testimony appears in the some punch-marked coins of the Mauryan Empire, as well as the coinage of the Indo-Greek king Agathocles, who issued coins with the image of Indian deities, together with legends in the Brami script, circa 180-190 BCE."Various attempts were made by numismatists to identify the human figures holding various attributes, appearing on the Imperial series of the punch-marked coins dated to the 3rd century BCE. The recent article by Wilfried Pieper has proposed a comprehensive survey of these coins with Vaiṣṇava divinities. The god most probably holding a plough in his raised left hand and pestle in his raised right hand is no doubt Balarāma." in The deity illustrated in some of the punch-marked coins of the 3rd century BCE is now generally thought to be Balarama, with his attributes: a plough in his raised left hand and pestle in his raised right hand. Some of the first known illustrations of proto-Hindu deities appearing on Hellenistic coinage, as witnessed by the Indo-Greeks in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent, are generally identified as Balarama-Samkarshana and Vasudeva-Krishna, together with their attributes, especially the Gada mace and the plow for the former, and the Vishnu attributes of the Shankha (a pear-shaped case or conch) and the Sudarshana Chakra wheel for the latter.Osmund Bopearachchi, 2016, Emergence of Viṣṇu and Śiva Images in India: Numismatic and Sculptural Evidence According to Bopearachchi, the headdress is actually a misrepresentation of a shaft with a half-moon parasol on top (chattra), as seen in later statues of bodhisattvas in Mathura. It is therefore thought that images predating the coins (but now lost) served as models to the engravers.
The dancing girls on some of the coins of Agathocles and Pantaleon are also sometimes considered as representations of Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, Subhadra, the sister of Krishna and Balarama, and also Vasudhara, a goddess of abundance and fortune for Buddhists.
Early reliefs (1st century BCE) By 100 BCE in the art of Mathura, reliefs start to represent more complex scenes, defining, according to Sonya Rhie Quintanilla, an age of "iconic diversification and narrative maturation." Some reliefs, such as the "Katra architrave," may represent Brahmins and the cult of the Shiva Linga. These reliefs from Mathura are dated to circa 100 BCE. Although few remain, some are considered as refined and intricate as the Buddhist narrative reliefs of Bharhut, Sanchi or Amaravati.
Hindu art under the Kushans (2nd-3rd century CE)
What we call "Hindu art" started to develop fully from the 1st to the 2nd century CE, and there are only very few examples of artistic representation before that time. Hindu art was inspired by the earlier Buddhist art of Mathura. The three Vedic gods Indra, Brahma and Surya were first depicted in Buddhist sculpture as attendants in scenes commemorating the life of the Buddha, such as his birth, his descent from the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, or his retreat in the Indrasala Cave. During the time of the Kushans, Hindu art progressively incorporated a profusion of original Hindu stylistic and symbolic elements, in contrast with the general balance and simplicity of Buddhist art. The differences appear in iconography rather than in style. It is generally considered that it is in Mathura, during the time of the Kushans, that the Brahmanical deities were given their standard form:
Some sculptures during this period suggest that the concept of the avatar was starting to emerge, as images of "Chatur-vyuha" (the four emanations of Vishnu) are appearing. The famous "Caturvyūha Viṣṇu" statue in Mathura Museum is an attempt to show in one composition Vāsudeva (as an avatar of Vishnu) together with the other members of the Vrishni clan of the Pancharatra system: Samkarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, with Samba missing, Vāsudeva being the central deity from whom the others emanate. The back of the relief is carved with the branches of a Kadamba tree, symbolically showing the relationship being the different deities. The depiction of Vishnu was stylistically derived from the type of the ornate Bodhisattvas, with rich jewelry and ornate headdress.
Hindu art under the Guptas (4th-6th century CE)
The first known creation of the Guptas related to Hindu art at Mathura is an inscribed pillar recording the installation of two Shiva Lingas in 380 CE under Chandragupta II, Samudragupta's successor.
Development of the iconography of Vishnu Until the 4th century CE, the worship of Vāsudeva-Krishna seems to have been much more important than that of Vishnu. During the Gupta period, statues focusing on the worship of Vishnu start to appear, replacing earlier statues now attributed to Vāsudeva-Krishna. Many of the statues of Vishnu appearing from the 4th century CE, such as the Vishnu Caturanana ("Four-Armed"), use the attributes and the iconography of Vāsudeva-Krishna, but add an aureole starting at the shoulders.
Other statues of Vishnu show him as three-headed (with an implied fourth head in the back): the Visnu Vaikuntha Chaturmurti or Chaturvyuha ("Four-Emanations") type, where Vishnu has a human head, flanked by the muzzle of a boar (his avatar Varaha) and the head of a lion (his avatar Narasimha), two of his most important and ancient avatars, laid out upon his aureole. Recent scholarship considers that these "Vishnu" statues still show the emanation Vāsudeva Krishna as the central human-shaped deity, rather than the Supreme God Vishnu himself."Because they date to a period when the Pancharatra sect was most influential, these two images are probably best identified as Chaturvyuha (or Four-Vyuha) Vishnu. The central face is that of Vishnu’s most supreme, most transcendent vyuha, or emanation, known as Vasudeva. The subsequent, less abstract vyuhas, in the form of a lion and a boar, appear at either side, with another vyuha implied at the back. The positions of the lion and boar heads differ in these two pieces, indicating that there was some disagreement about the way the viewer should read such an icon."
A further variation is Vishnu as three-headed cosmic creator, the Visnu Visvarupa, showing Vishnu with a human head, again flanked by the muzzle of a boar the head of a lion, but with a multitude of beings on his aureole, symbol of the numerous creations and emanations resulting from his creative power.For English summary, see page 80 These sculptures can be dated to the 5th century CE.
Incorporation of Lakshmi In the 3rd-4th century CE, Lakshmi, which had been an independent Goddess of prosperity and luck, was incorporated in the Vaishnava pantheon as the consort of Vishnu."By about the 3rd/4th century CE, Shri Lakshmi was absorbed into the Vaishnava pantheon as the consort of Vishnu" in She thus became the Hindu goddess of wealth, good fortune, prosperity and beauty.; Quote: "[Goddess] Lakshmi is associated with wealth, good fortune, and prosperity, and is considered the embodiment of all these things."
Medieval period (8th-16th century) Hindu art became largely prevalent from the Medieval period onward. It was accompanied by the decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent.
Early modern period (16th-19th century)
Modern period "God posters", also known as framing pictures or calendar art, have emerged as a popular religious art genre and typically take the form of polychrome lithographs. God posters are typically sold at local retailer's shops who in turn acquire them from wholesalers and publishing firms. God posters feature either "supernaturals" i.e. deities, saints, or sacred sites. The god posters evoke various devotional responses: those who most value god posters have developed a popular new "omnipraxy" to worship the posters. In domestic settings, god posters are vested and embellished by devotees who pass them down in their families. God posters are often placed next to other sacred images in forms of religious associations. Some god posters also reflect syncretism in which various cults have been amalgamated in modern times. Hindu saints, ancient or modern, who are the recipients of personality cults often have "personality posters" dedicated to them. Posters of sacred sites are sometimes depicted as maps or diagrams, which act as yantras in which a pilgrim-devotee can act or reenact the pilgrimage or journey mentally without the requisite physical movement.
Popular dance and music art forms
Natya Shastra and centuries of Hindu cultural traditions have given rise to several art forms. Some of which are: Bharatanatyam Kuchipudi Manipuri Mohiniyattam Odissi Sattriya Bhagavata Mela Yakshagana Carnatic Music
64 traditional arts
Singing Instrumental music Learning music in Hindu culture was a difficult task before the 20th century because of a necessary birth into a gharana. After the early 1920s, integration of anyone wanting to learn classical Hindustani music could occur. An average ensemble normally includes a harmonium (which was brought to India by French missionaries), flute, veena, sitar, swaramandala, and a tabla. Many of the songs have strong themes that are related to theology such as a God's favorite pastimes, praise of any God whether they be in their original form in the Trimurti or the God's reincarnation, even stories of the creation of earth. Since instrumental music is a performance art it must follow strict guidelines that come from the treatise Natya Shastra. Dancing Painting Indian variety – the different types of folk paintings are proud for Indian culture which reflects beauty, tradition and heritage of India. There are many types of traditional paintings like Madhubani, Rajsthani, Batik-Art, Patachitra, Gond, Mandala, Tribal Art Warli, Pithora, Bengali, Nirmal, Mysore, Tanjore paintings etc. which are the expressions of love, almighty, beauty, truth, tradition and art of each and every region of the India. Forehead adornments Rangoli: Making decorative floral and grain designs on the floor Home and temple flower arranging Personal grooming Mosaic tiling Bedroom arrangements Creating music with water Splashing and squirting with water Secret mantras Making flower garlands Head adornments Dressing