Life in the Kathmandu Valley is centered on the rhythms of daily religious practice and the festival cycles of both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. During these annual events and festivals, scheduled according to the lunar and astrological calendar, many of the gods are paraded in chariots throughout the valley. Much of the art created in the Kathmandu Valley is produced for ritual purposes—to accommodate daily practice, commemorate important rites of passage, or to celebrate seasonal festivals. Works commissioned for special events and holidays portray important deities and sets of divine figures. Beginning in the sixteenth century, these works were more commonly marked with dedicatory inscriptions, precise dates, and images depicting patrons, all of which were important aspects in commissioned ritual works.
Hinduism | Buddhism | Ritual Aesthetics | Divine Feminine | Shiva and Family |
