Nepalese artisans create wax sculptures, like this one of Mahakala, which are used to make molds for metal statues.

Appreciating beauty is a pathway to experiencing spirituality. Hindus sometimes worship idols, which could include sculptures, paintings, or drawings.

They may make sacrifices of fruits or even animals, or they may dress sculptures in rich, beautiful clothing at certain times of the year. They believe that by worshipping these idols, they are worshipping the gods themselves.

Early Idols

Shiva Nataraja, Lord of the Dance, is one of the best-known Hindu idols.

One of the oldest pieces of art is a clay seal showing what may be the god Shiva in an early form. Archaeologists and historians believe that this little piece of art that has somehow weathered the centuries proves that the god Shiva was one of the earliest to be worshipped by South Asians.

Because of their importance, idols are usually crafted with great artistry and skill. From the tiniest painting to the largest sculpture, Hindu artists try to make the idols beautiful.

Of Art and Arms

Sometimes, an artist gives a god extra arms so that each arm can carry something representing the god's attributes. For example, the goddess Kali is sometimes shown with dozens of arms, and each one carries a weapon that tells the worshipper something about her.

Extra arms and heads do not necessarily mean that Hindus believe the gods actually have a whole bunch of extra body parts. Those parts are often symbolic. Of course, in many of the Hindu stories about gods, heroes, and demons, some beings do indeed have extraordinary appearances. For instance, the demon Ravana — whom the hero Rama had to fight — really did have 10 heads, and he was all the more intimidating because of that fact.

Carving Artists

South Asia's amazing architecture, ranging from elaborate temples to India's fabulous Taj Mahal, is a treat for the eyes and the mind.

Other panels depict scenes from Shiva's life and tell fascinating stories in stone. Carved with great skill, the pictures delight visitors with their beauty. When the Portuguese first discovered this cave, they must have been at least unnerved by the powerful, multifaced figures looming out of the shadows.

When Buddhism first began to spread across South Asia, sculptors were reluctant to depict the Buddha himself. They believed that he was too holy to be captured in stone or paint. Still, they wanted to create art that celebrated the life and deeds of the founder of their religion in the same way that their Hindu counterparts told the stories of Hindu mythology. Therefore, early Buddhist art sometimes feature elaborate scenes from the Buddha's life, but the Buddha himself is represented by a pair of footprints or perhaps a wheel.

Artists used footprints to show where the Buddha stood, as if his presence had marked the landscape. Buddhists sometimes call the Buddha's teachings the "Wheel of the Dharma," or wheel of wisdom, because his lessons rolled across the land quickly and powerfully. Some artists therefore chose a wheel as an appropriate symbol for the Buddha.

Architecture

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, is a holy site for Sikhs.

One great work of Muslim art is the Taj Mahal. The Muslim Shah Jahan, who ruled much of India in the mid-17th century, loved his wife Mumtaz Mahal with overpowering devotion. When she died tragically in childbirth in 1631, he ordered that a tomb be built. The result was the Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings ever made.

Many Muslim artists throughout the world chose architecture as their medium because of the strict prohibition against portraying people. Beautiful mosques can be found on every continent. But, South Asia, with its rich Muslim history, has benefited more than many other regions from the Muslim devotion to architecture.

Other religions have contributed to the wealth of art and architecture in South Asia. One shining example is the Golden Temple. The most sacred Sikh temple, it is another magnificent testament to the architectural achievements of South Asians.

Art in Words

As with the visual art, South Asian literary art was often inspired by religion. The two great epics — the Mahabharata and the Ramayana — both tell Hindu stories, but countless plays, poems, and songs also recount tales of gods and goddesses, mythic heroes, and demons. In fact, some of the earliest South Asian writing, composed in the now-dead language called Sanskrit, consists almost entirely of songs about the gods, offering worship and praise.

A strong, assertive character in the Mahabharata, Sakuntala was transformed into a submissive woman in Sakuntala, an ancient work by Kalidasa, one of India's most famous playwrights. Recent works have sought to redefine this famous heroine of Indian fiction.

South Asian writers aimed to inspire strong emotion among their audiences. Some thinkers developed elaborate systems categorizing the different kinds of emotions a writer could hope to inspire. Writers would strive to work these pure emotions, called rasas, into their books, plays, and poems. Most believed that successfully capturing a rasa was the highest accomplishment a writer could hope to achieve.

Much South Asian literature and drama today arises from the literature of more than a thousand years ago. The Mahabharata — the epic that tells the story of the beginnings of India — frequently inspires writers today to tell the story again in ways that will seem relevant to modern audiences. Those audiences, familiar with the original story, take delight in seeing how the old story is reworked and retold so as to be immediately meaningful.

In fact, the recent multi-episode productions of the complete Mahabharata and Ramayana recently held viewers from all across South Asia rapt. For the first time, they had the opportunity to watch the stories that make up an important part of their cultural heritage unfold on the screen.

The Film Revolution

Cranking out film after film, India's movie studios usually produce more in one year than any other country in the world. The very bulk of films produced in South Asia has earned the region's industry the nickname "Bollywood."

Every South Asian — sculptor, painter, and moviemaker alike — strives not only to imbue his or her creation with meaning, but also to make the work beautiful, regardless of the subject. Even a sculpture of the frightening goddess Kali or a painting of a monstrous demon has a certain beauty to it.

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