Art

Hindu art represents unity and expresses culture, beliefs, and way of life. Their art is found everywhere with in the India Civilization. Artists proclaim the beauty of human beings through art. Unlike Buddist art, Hinduism represent the human figure curved. Any knowledge that you can obtain about Hinduism gives you a better insight into their art and values. Leading you to understand and appreciate the Hindu way of life. The following are examples of a few very inspiring pieces of art that have been influenced by Hinduism.

Cave Carving: "Ellora" This cave was carved out of a large mountain. It took artists and architects many years to construct. Ellora is a very unique monument to India.

Sculpture: "King of Dance" This sculpture is representing the Lord Shiva. "The dancing Shiva is the dancing universe, the ceaseless flow of energy going through an infinite variety of patterns that melt into one another". There is a lot of symbolism in this sculpture. Such as the flying hair which shows how fast our universe is turning. The empty space represents our sky. And Lord Shiva's four arms each are holding a different object showing various strengths of power.

Painting: "Lord Ganesha"Lord Ganesha is the god who removes obstacles and is knowledgable. His elephant head symbolizes intellegense and wisdom. He also, like Lord Shiva, has four hands. One of the hands holds an axe which is used to cut attachments from devotees. Another one holds a rope which is to carry the truth of others. The third hand holds a dessert ball to reward others of their good deeds in spiritual activity. The last hand always is out to bless others, regardless of who they are.

Temple: "Kandariya Mahadeva Temple" This temple was dedicated to the god Shiva. This one of a kind temple was once the capital of Chandela Rajputs, India. Today the temple is a hot spot for tourists because of its detail (646 statues decorate the sides!!!).

Sources: http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/madurai/ala09.html, http://www.exoticindiaart.com/paintings/Hindu/, http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Art.ht, http://www.accd.edu/sac/vat/arthistory/arts1303/India2.htmm ,
http://www.hindunet.org/god/Gods/ganesh/ , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandariya_Mahadeva_temple