Hindu Art

The complex cults of Hinduism have been the inspiration for splendid temple architecture, striking and beautiful sculpture, and fine painting. This wide-ranging survey provides an introduction to the Hindu art and architecture of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, covering a period of over two thousand years. There is no one style of Hindu art. Much of the art of the Indian subcontinent has always been religious in inspiration, and the same artists worked readily on images of gods from different traditions. However, Hindu art can be defined and distinguished by its iconography, the study of which offers rewarding insights into this major section of the art of South Asia. With a wealth of illustrations, this title discusses the relationship between Hindu art and religion, and explores how this has been developed through temple architecture and through images in literature and the visual arts of the major Hindu deities, Shiva, Vishnu and the Great Goddess in a