GALLERY
2: NEPAL | MAIN EXHIBITION |
GALLERY 3: TIBET
Human Gods and Godlike Humans
INDIA AND SRI LANKA
| That
metalworking was practiced in ancient India is clear: the Vedas, (from
the Sanskrit vid: to know) which consist of four collections
of hymns to the gods and date from around 1500 to 600 BCE, glorify the
heavenly smith, Tvashta. There are references to metalworking: gold, silver,
lead, and tin are mentioned in the Yajur Veda, while the older Rig Veda
speaks of gold, copper, and bronze. In the addenda to the Vedas, more
specifically in the Brahmanas (c. sixth to fifth century BCE), are eulogies
to craftsmen and artists, including metal workers.
from
Human Gods and Godlike Humans
|
 Bodhisattva Maitreya |
 Parvati |
 Shiva Nataraja |
 Acala |
 Shyama Tara |
 Sambhavanatha |
 Panchamukha linga |
all text & images © 2005 The authors, the photographers and the Ethnographic Museum, Antwerp