Nav-Durga
In many temples, homes and calendars, this image is prevalent. It is well known, yet many may not know the meaning behind it. This is an image of the nine forms of the goddess Durga, often called Nav Durga, with ‘nav’ being the word for nine. Together, the symbols and emblems show Nav Durga is a very significant group of goddesses for Hindus.
This image shows the goddess Durga in nine of her forms. The goddess in the middle is the main form, Durga. This is evident because she is in the center and is largest, suggesting that she is more important, or that the entire image has to do with her. It looks a lot like the image of Vishnu and his avataras. Durga, often referred to as Durga Maa (‘Maa’ meaning mother), is associated with many things. Her vehicle is a tiger, she is extremely beautiful, and she carries weapons in each of her hand except one in which she holds a lotus. The weapons and her vehicle refer to her creation. Durga was created by the Gods when they were overthrown by a demon that could not be killed by them. Since a woman could only kill this demon, the gods put their angry energies together and from each of those energies stemmed a body part of Durga. Each of the gods gave her his weapon, which is why she carries weapons such as Shiva’s trishul, Vishnu’s discus, and the lion from Himalaya. These weapons are the key symbols to look for when recognizing an image of Durga Maa, along with the tiger. The other eight forms of Durga are formed each day of her battle with this demon. Since this battle took nine days, there are nine total parts of Durga. The first form is Shailputri. ‘Shail’ comes from the Sanskrit word meaning mountain, which explains that she was incarnated from Himalaya. She is recognizable in the image as the one on the bottom left corner. Her mount is a bull. She has a trishul in one hand and a lotus in another. She is known for wearing colored apparel. The second phase is Brahmacharni. In this content, Brahma means penance. In this image, she is located right above Shailputri. She is the part of Durga that practices penance. Brahmacharni is easily recognized because she is the only form of Durga that does not have a vehicle.
...clouds above refer to traditional Japanese screen paintings and provide a softening side to the water. They create a balance symbolising hope and good luck. Four wind symbols are used as a devise to balance the composition – all are blowing air gently into the picture. The cartoon like face with its puffed out, red cheeks expelling air. All suggest a positive, natural energy.
India has produced provocative (From Western standards) sculptures, from Mithuna the Hindu, representation of male and female sculpture locked in a passionate embrace. During the time period of 500 through the 1300 CE, Hindu temple architecture, and sculpture reached new levels of imagination and complexity. A great example would be the Mithuna couple showed in a tight hug with the female leg crossed over the males arms wrapped around each other, and what appears to be the couple kissing, which on western standards, would exhibit a state of an erotic pose. India’s artistic ability’s showed an advanced style, when it produced the marvelous Shiva Nataraja, Lord of the dance, from southern India, Chola period, eleventh century, Bronze height 5ft surrounded by a ring of fire, Shiva dances the eternal rhythms of the universe, birth , death, and rebirth. This sculpture too, not one of eroticism, just magnificent with a women dancing inside a ring of fire, the overall size, just added to the statue, and present of this piece of art. Hindu devotional practices elevate, and promote a sculpture, to an individual’s state of looking or gazing at God’s image; Hinduism holds that God is present in its representations, thus visual contact with a sculpture is like viewing the divine. This is referred to as darshan (Literally, “seeing and being seen by the God”) the very act of beholding the image is an act of worship. Gothic design with its flare, when thinking about sculptures it leads you to the grotesque’s gargoyles waterspouts, these were grotesque figures or hybrid beasts that adorn the rooftops or flying buttresses of the Gothic cathedrals, and were said to ward off evil. The one’s adorning Notre Dame , in Paris are astonishing , Whe...
...itioned to the side of her face rather than the front. The right arm is being held up which can symbolize authority. Although there is no color the body and hair look like they are cover in jewelry.
The female statue has exaggerated stomach, breasts, and bottoms. It also shows a very sharp, detailed private. The artist could have made the breast large to represent nurturing, and the belly to represent being
It marks a point in time, where Picasso that took art by the hand and turned it around by 108 degrees. The art work shows five naked women, without a recognizable background. They are all making different poses, almost as if they were leaning against a wall. Some of the women have very abstracted faces, one of them looks as if she was wearing a mask. It portrays Picassos interest with African sculpture, and how he incorporated it into his passion for art. The way the women are drawn, with their bodies having sharp edges, shows how Picasso was starting to evolve the new style of cubism. It took Picasso months of revision to finally show this work in
The first symbol was a tall, bronze ladder that was narrow and stretched all the way to Heaven. The ladder represents the path that everyone must climb in order to get to Heaven. On the ladder are iron implements, all of which were various weapons, and that if you were not careful, you would be "torn to pieces" (2). The iron implements were the tools that were used to torture people, especially in the arena where the Christians were killed. One could also see the implements as obstacles that people face while trying to live a good life and get to Heaven. The dragon found at the bottom of the ladder is representative of the temptation of the devil (2). When the dragon put his head down and Perpetua stomped on it, it showed that she had power over the devil and that she was able to resist his temptations. The huge expanse of garden symbolizes Heaven. The white-haired man milking his ewes and dressed like a shepherd is referring to God watching over all his people like a shepherd watches his flock. The thousands of people dressed in white are either representing the angels and saints in Heaven or the thousands of believers that have died before and now live in Heaven. Finally, in her vision, Perpetua is given a small morsel, and she accepts it with both hands, and the people say "Amen". These actions symbolize those of Eucharist and that she was receiving the Body of Christ. After this had happened,
The piece itself displays two Buddhas, seated next to each other, two bodhisattvas on either side of the Buddhas, apsaras across the top of the stele, along with four monks and two lions adorning the bottom. In this stele, the...
This bronze sculpture shows one of three God’s in Hindu triumvirate, Shiva Nataraja, the destroyer and regenerator, as a dancing figure within the ring of fire. The ring of fire is the eternal cyclical nature of existence, the cosmos and consciousness. Other elements shown in this dance are Shrishti (creation), Anugraha (release), Sthiti (preservation), Samahara (destruction), and Tirobhava (illusion). In the form of Shiva Nataraja, he has four arms that represent different aspects of the universe., this signifies world creation through music. In his left hand is destruction depicted as fire. Both the hands are equal in height and level, this signifies the equality in destruction and creation. Abhaya mudra which symbolizes fearlessness., pointing to left foot signifying salvation and upliftment. Shiva’s right foot is pressed on the back of a demon dwarf at the center, this depicts victory over ignorance. In this sculpture Shiva’s flowing hair stands out with a small personified image of the Ganges river. Stories tell of Shiva and how he broke the fall of great Ganges’
The imagery is very important in this epic to show the evidence of the battle between the light and darkness. In this case, light and darkness are basically closed together. At the beginning of this epic, it says that “a monster living in the darkness
The sun’s mouth is bleeding because of three dripping red lines coming from the sun’s mouth like blood. This may show Frida’s pain as a result of the misery and death in her county. Next to the sun, the moon is in another cloud with a similar sad representation. Between them, another red line, like a ray or something remembering the terrible situation in Mexico. Under these elements and the sky, an antique Mayan or Aztecan ruin symbolizes the ancestry of the Mexican people. The skull relevant; it signifies war, assassination, and the pain suffered by the Mexican nation. Also, the rocks, ancient sculptures, and religious objects characterize the traditions of Frida’s ancestors. Lastly, typical flowers, wild plants, and some corn are on the floor. Of course, they represent the natural, colorful, and beautiful spirit of the Mexican country. In contrast, on the right, Frida painted the United States with other components. For example the sky is covered by smoke that is enveloping the American flag. Therefore it corresponds to the pollution caused by the industrialization of the country. There are skyscrapers that characterize the development, luxury, and advantages of the U.S. The industrial technology is also denoted with things such as a megaphone, speaker, and a
The African mask tattoo represents the egwugwu, or the nine masked Umuofia elders. They are seen as ancestral gods and are judges in the community. “And when, as on that day, nine of the greatest masked spirits in the clan came out together it was a terrifying spectacle”. They
...ic meanings that still are puzzling art historians today. Some of the key symbols that Stokstad points out in the text is the dove, representing the Holy Spirit; the white lilies as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. She also points out, two rather unknown symbols to the sacrilegious, the date of the Annunciation in signs of the zodiac on the floor, as well as the lone stained glass window that is symbolizing God rising above the three windows that are placed in the background behind Mary. These three windows represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Before I really get into my personal experience at the Durga temple, I would like to begin my experience paper by throwing a light on my religion. I personally belong to a Muslim family and have practiced Islam throughout my life. Islam is one of the monotheistic religions, which means people only believe in one God usually referred as Allah. All the individuals, including me, believe that everything in this world has been created by all mighty Allah. He has the power and authority of diminishing and raising thing. Islam is based on its five pillars; Namaz (prayer), Roza (fasting), Hajj (pilgrimage), Zakat (Give away), and Jahad (struggle in way of Islam). In contrast Hinduism has many different deities and all of them have a specific purpose. For example Shiva is widely known as the destroyer while the Vishnu presides over the maintenance of the living being. The reason I decided to go to the Hindu religious practice is because I have heard many different stories about the conflict between Hindus and Muslims. Furthermore, I also wanted to see the temples because I have never seen one, I have been to a lot of churches, mosques, and synagogue, but never got the change to visit a temple. Both Islam and Hinduism are the most popular religions in the world and they have millions of followers. However, there is a day and night difference between both of them.
Durga is a warrior queen who slays demons in the battle to keep the cosmos at balance. Durga is universally beautiful. She rides on a lion into battle and holds many weapons with her many hands attached to her many arms. David Kinsley, author of Hindu Goddesses, describes Durga as "The great battle queen with many arms, each which wields a weapon. She rides a fierce lion and is described as irresistible in battle." This is very different from the description of Kali, as said by the above author, "The goddess Kali is almost always described as having a terrible, frightening appearance. She is always black or dark, is usually naked, and has long disheveled hair." Kali likes to accent her naturally scary beauty by wearing severed heads, arms and dead children as jewelry. Blood seems to be her favorite cosmetic.
In Indian culture, Goddess Parvati is depicted as a beautiful and serene woman, making emphasis on the sensuality of her body. In Hindu mythology the name of Parvati means “she who dwells in the mountain” she is said to be the daughter of Mena and the Himalaya Mountain. Parvati is the consort of the God Shiva, one of the supreme deities among Hinduism. The Goddess is seen as a devoted wife and mother and represents love, fertility and beauty.