Religion, like language, is a symbol system. For many thousands of years, humans have used various forms of art to symbolize their religion, their religious practices, and their religious beliefs.
Among today’s religions, Hinduism is often viewed as one of the world’s oldest religions. In his book Religions, Philip Wilkinson writes:
“The origins of Hinduism go back so far that there are no written records of its beginnings. However, it is likely that the faith originated in the Indus Valley, in what is now Pakistan, more than 3,000 years ago.”
In the Indus Valley, a civilization called Harappan by archaeologists emerged about 2500 BCE. This civilization had well-planned cities, such as Harappa and Mohenjodaro, and writing. While the written script has not been deciphered, nor do scholars agree on what language was spoken by the Harappans at this time, their iconography which is associated with Hinduism. Philip Wilkinson reports:
“They seem to have worshipped both a goddess and a god with three faces, who is shown in the position of a yogi. This three-sided deity may be the origin of the triad of gods who later became central to Hinduism.”
Regarding the icons associated with the Indus Valley civilization, Clifford Bishop, in his book Sex and Spirit, reports:
“Archaeologists have uncovered seals showing an ithyphallic three-faced god, known as the proto-Shiva. Terracotta statues of naked women may represent a mother goddess who became Parvati or Kali.”
Hinduism developed into a complex, diverse, polytheistic religion. In his book God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World—And Why Their Differences Matter, religion professor Stephen Prothero describes it this way:
“Hinduism is an over-the-top religion of big ideas, bright colors, soulful mantras, spicy foods, complex rituals, and wild stories.”
Stephen Prothero also writes:
“Some Hindus say that there is really just one god underlying these many manifestations. Others say that there are many gods but one is supreme. Still others say there are many gods and all are equal. Some Hindus even say there is no god whatsoever—that the gods are a by-product of our hyperactive imagination.”
In the section on Hinduism in World Religions, Vasudha Narayanan writes:
“Some early writings express the idea of a divine trinity (trimurti) of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer), but this concept was never widely popular.”
Hinduism has a complex pantheon in which each deity is identified with an aspect of the ultimate reality. There are thousands of gods and no standard practice of worship. An individual Hindu may focus on a single god or goddess; other gods may be acknowledged in the practice of worship; and an individual may turn to different gods at different times.
There are many temples dedicated to different gods and goddesses, and the images of gods and goddesses can also be found in stores, in offices, in hospitals, and on the altars and shrines in Hindu homes. Vasudha Narayanan writes:
“Gods and goddess all have their own iconographic characteristics, and every position of the hands or feet, every associated animal, plant, or bird, has a special significance.”
Worship is done daily either at a small shrine in the house or at a temple. Vasudha Narayanan writes:
“Temple worship forms a key element in Hindu religious life. In most temples, worship is traditionally not congregational in the sense that people do not gather for communal worship at fixed times. There is no seating in the temple: devotees usually stand for a few minutes while they view the deity in its shrine.”
Daily worship is known as puja (a word which implies honor and veneration). Philip Wilkinson writes:
“Puja centers on the image of the deity, which is regarded as a symbol of the god and, more than this, as part of the deity’s essence. As such, images are regarded with great respect.”
With regard to terminology, Karen Armstrong, in her book Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, writes:
“The term hindu had been used first by the Muslim conquerors to describe the indigenous people; it had no specifically religious connotation but simply meant ‘native’ or ‘local,’ and the indigenous peoples, including Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs, came to use it of themselves.”
Only in the late eighteenth century did the term Hindu come to refer to the dominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is not a term most Hindus would use to describe their religion.
In his entry on Hinduism and unbelief in The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief, Robert Tapp writes:
“Hinduism is a Western concept imposed on a subcontinent whose classic languages have no useful word for religion. And those life views that Westerners have called religions in Indians have always been plural, and usually without central authorities who could define ‘right belief.’”
Hinduism is filled with icons—images of gods, goddesses, and other entities.
Ganesha, Lord of Obstacles
This icon in the Portland Art Museum is from Northeastern India or Bangladesh and dates to the 11th century (Pala dynasty). According to the display:
“As the remover of both spiritual and material obstacles, the elephant-headed Ganesha is beloved by Hindus as well as Buddhists and Jains across South and Southeast Asia and in diaspora communities. Presiding over auspicious beginnings, he is invoked at the start of each day or at the outset of any important project. Like his father, Shiva, Ganesha is a master of Yoga and dancing; he is also the patron deity of wisdom, literature, and the pursuit of knowledge.”
Stephen Prothero writes:
“At the beginning of any new venture, Hindus call upon Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of good fortune, lord of threshholds, and remover of obstacles.”
Shiva Natarāja
This icon in the Portland Art Museum of Shiva Natarāja (Shiva as Lord of the Dance) is from Southern India and dates to the 10th/12th century or later. According to the display:
“In classical Indian culture, dance is a demanding physical discipline. By inducing a state of trance, dance prepares the mind for spiritual leaps. The dancer and the dance become one, re-enacting the union of the individual soul with the transcendent divine. The great Hindu god Shiva, the ultimate yogi, is also the Lord of the Dance, Natarāja. In his cosmic dance, Natarāja destroys the old universe and creates it anew, the beat of the drum and footsteps marking the pace of cyclical time.”
Vishnu as a Young Man
This icon in the National Museum of Scotland shows Vishnu as a young man. He holds a conch shell for creation, a discus for the mind, and a club for strength. Vishnu, known as the preserver, has the ability to manifest himself on earth in ten different forms or avatars.
Surasundari
This icon in the National Museum of Scotland shows Surasundari or Heavenly Beauty. Erotic art is not uncommon in Hindu temples.
Kuvera
This icon in the National Museum of Scotland shows Kuvera, the god of wealth. This figure is over 1,000 years old.
Hanuman
This icon in the National Museum of Scotland shows Hanuman, the monkey god-king. He represents the ideals of bravery and service. Hanuman does not appear in the Vedas, but rather in later holy texts. Hanuman, an ally of Rama, is seen as an incarnation of Vishnu.