The vitarka mudra is of great importance in Buddhist iconography. The enlightened one sits in a stable padmasana and raises the right hand in the stance of dispensing vidya (awareness). This is called vitarka in Sanskrit; while ‘mudra’ refers to the stance of the hands in particular. As you could see in the murti on this page, the forefinger curves forward to touch the tips with the thumb, and the remaining fingers as well as the palm of the hand remain outstretched. Such a mudra adds to the stability, serenity, and equanimity associated with Gautama Buddha. He is in the perfect, prolonged padmasana,
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India’s rich spirituality begins with Lord Ganesha; softens the karma and guides dharma. Ganesha reigns over our beginnings, our changes, earthly decisions, and problems. This wonderful Hindu deity is the one closest to the material plane of consciousness, most easily contacted and most able to assist us in our day-to-day life and concerns. The superfine carvings of this Ganesha brass sculpture form a realistic expression of Lord Ganesha’s divine personality. He sits in his usual posture on a unique floral carved hexagonal platform which is kept on a stylized chowki, designed with lion paws as
Lord Hanuman sits down balanced on a single knee. He sets the mace down to His right and gathers His hands in the namaskaram mudra. This mudra conveys an acknowledgment of the divine contained within the entity afore oneself. In the case of the great Hanuman, it is none other than Lord Rama before whom He bows. The face with the protruding jaws bear striking resemblance to a monkey. Strong and wide-set shoulders, thighs that are thick and powerful; arms that tore off an entire mountain simply because the beloved brother of Rama was in need of succor. Each aspect of the great yogi, in every sense
Balaji is considered Lord Vishnu's Kaliyug Avatar. Lord Tirupati Balaji is believed to be so powerful that mere sight of the idol is enough to emancipate a man from a lifetime of suffering. Lord Venkateshwara Statue is a full four-armed representation of Vishnu. But only two are visible from the front. Lord Balaji is shown having a U-shaped tilak on his forehead which is the signature style to describe the divine deity who is the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. The reawakening of Vishnu is blessed by Kubera the lord of wealth and prosperity which is why he bestowed in a multitude of ornaments from
The archaic period of art began to show interest in marble. Limestone saraswati sculpture is the art of creating, convincing realistic figure which produces natural and expressive movement. Such is the Saraswati White marble sculpture. She is a marvel of knowledge, music, art, speech, and learning. The goddess is depicted as a beautiful woman clothed in pure white. She is garlanded in a golden throne which represents the highest power of awareness and astuteness. Saraswati plays the lute which is an instrument of divinity. She is an icon of grace, beauty, and devotion who is carrying Vedas in
A visual fusion of the twin aspects of Ganesha as dancer and warrior. The son of Shiva inherits not just the tandava of Nataraja, but also His all-annihilating aspect. In the pattachitra that you see on this page, the elephant-deity is possessed of eight arms (He is dashabhujadhari), wielding weapons and other Shaivite implements. The legs and torso, however, are in the dramatic tribhanga stance, indicative of dynamism or nrtya. His gorgeous wives, in miniature proportions, are on either side of the plinth beneath His feet: Riddhi bears a chamara and Siddhi an ornate fan.
Superior-quality georgette that lends itself to a fluid fall. The color a pink so pale, it is transparent across the endpiece. Embroidery that adds weight and beauty to the saree. The Indian saree that you see on this page is an expressive, feminine number and would occupy pride of place in the wardrobe of the modern Indian woman. A soft, youthful number that would look as good at a pooja or a traditional gathering as it would at a friend’s wedding or party.
Aum is the most important syllable in Hindu chanting. It is the beginning as well as the culmination of every mantra in the divine language of Sanskrt. It is a composite of three different phonetics, namely ‘a’, followed by ‘u’, and finally ‘m’. Contained within the aum is the entire linguistic range of man; as such, chanting aum is to have chanted the Vedas and all of itihasa. A powerful syllable such as the aum is the sounding board of all spoken languages, the pronunciation of which is indispensable to the practice of yoga.
This large bellied and elephant faced, Lord Ganesha holds the power to remove all obstacles to have a fruitful and healthy life. Ganesha was given a boon, that he would be worshipped as the primary deity before the start of any auspicious event, which is consciously or unconsciously done by the whole mankind. This large Ganesha brass sculpture is a superfine piece of beauty because of its large size, extraordinary carvings and realistic features, which can ornate your surroundings in an aura of spirituality and aesthetic beauty.
Ushnishavijaya is one of the three gods of longevity and fulfillment of desire. The other three are Amitayus and White Tara. She is often depicted with eight arms and three heads. Her main face is white while another face is peaceful in gold, the face to her left is blue in a wrathful look. In this thangka, she sits on a moon disk on top of a multi-colored lotus within a stupa or a mound. Stupas are originally the funerary mound for the Shakyamuni but have since been associated with the patterns to the enlightenment of the Buddha. In this thangka, notice that the vidyadhara (garland holders) near