Milwaukee Public Museum: India
The path of the MPM's very atmospheric Hall of Asia roughly follows the actual geography of the continent. Moving onward from China, beyond the Himalayas, we come to India. These display cases are built into a structure resembling the ruins of an ancient Hindu temple, complete with macaque monkeys atop the roof (a common site in Indian cities).
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India is divided into 17 states. Although it is only one-third the size of the United States, its population of over 500 million is two and one-half times as great. This sub-continent is one of startling contrasts and contradictions, of jungle, desert and mountains, of feast and famine. India can be divided into four main regions: the northern mountains consisting of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush to the northwest; the Indus-Ganges plain stretching more than 1500 miles from east to west; the Deccan, a high plateau in central India; and the Coastal Rim flatlands, a narrow band of lowland extending around the lower triangle of the continent.
Two features dominate the climate of India, the heat and the monsoon. If the monsoon is late or if the rainfall is light, crops are late and there is famine. Too much rain results in destructive floods. Heat is oppressive in the land, with summer temperatures of 120 degrees common in the Indus-Ganges plain. All ranges of skin color can be found among the inhabitants, ranging from the dark-skinned Dravidians of the south to the light-Aryans of the north. In religion, 83 per cent are Hindus and eat no beef; some Hindus practice strict vegetarianism. Religion is an exceedingly important aspect of Indian life and here as nowhere else can one find such a profession of faith. Besides the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs, India has Muslems, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and many others. Hindi is the national language and is spoken and understood by a majority of the people.
Within the last 5000 years of its existence India has been invaded by many people, among them the Aryans, about 1500 B.C., the Persians about 500 B.C., the Greeks under Alexander the Great in 326 B.C., the Moghuls in the 16th century, and finally by various European nations, including Portugal, France and England. Interspersed among these major invasions were intrusions by Mongols, Scythians, Parthians, Huns, Arabs and Turks. Throughout the entire era Indian tribal life went on almost unmolested in the more remote inland and mountain areas. The influence of some of the invaders was profound, but none led to any break in the continuity of the Indian civilization, which is among the oldest in the world. Rather, there was a synthesis between the old and the new, a blending of cultures which resulted in the absorption of the newcomers. The British, who became dominant in the 18th century, finally relinquished their power in 1947. The British influence still persists, however, in systems of law, government, and education and also in the continued wide use of the English language.
After years of struggle, led by Mahatma Gandhi, India emerged in 1947 as a sovereign nation. Under the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, it became a republic in 1950. Under the constitution, discrimination and the practice of
"untouchability" is forbidden by law.
The "Bazaar in Old Delhi" exhibit is a small cross section of the exciting, colorful and almost unbelievably crowded market place located in the old section of Delhi, capital of India.
SHIVA NATARAJA: LORD OF THE DANCE
Shiva belongs to the great triad of Hindu deities, which includes Brahma, the Creator, and Vishnu the Sustainer.
Shiva and his wife Parvati (also known as Kali) are the parents of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Lord of Wisdom. Shiva's role is simultaneously destroyer and regenerator, bringing life into existence and then cyclically moving it out again. In a sense, Shiva represents Time itself and his "dance" symbolizes the cycle of balance and harmony that is the Hindu understanding of the universe.
This depiction of Shiva in his aspect of Nataraja, Lord of the Dance, is not an object of worship. Rather, it is a contemplation of movement, change, and transformation on a cosmic scale. His four arms reveal that he is a supernatural being beyond human time and human limitation. His upper right hand holds the drum that sounds the first vibration of Creation, while his lower right hand makes a gesture meaning "do not fear," for Shiva symbolizes both power and mercy. In his upper left hand Shiva holds the flame of destruction and change representing the movement between life and death. His lower left-hand points to his raised foot, symbolizing liberation from earthly desires. Shiva dances upon the body of the demon Apasmara Purusha who represents human lust and ignorance.
Milwaukee Public Museum: India
The path of the MPM's very atmospheric Hall of Asia roughly follows the actual geography of the continent. Moving onward from China, beyond the Himalayas, we come to India. These display cases are built into a structure resembling the ruins of an ancient Hindu temple, complete with macaque monkeys atop the roof (a common site in Indian cities).
______________________________________________
India is divided into 17 states. Although it is only one-third the size of the United States, its population of over 500 million is two and one-half times as great. This sub-continent is one of startling contrasts and contradictions, of jungle, desert and mountains, of feast and famine. India can be divided into four main regions: the northern mountains consisting of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush to the northwest; the Indus-Ganges plain stretching more than 1500 miles from east to west; the Deccan, a high plateau in central India; and the Coastal Rim flatlands, a narrow band of lowland extending around the lower triangle of the continent.
Two features dominate the climate of India, the heat and the monsoon. If the monsoon is late or if the rainfall is light, crops are late and there is famine. Too much rain results in destructive floods. Heat is oppressive in the land, with summer temperatures of 120 degrees common in the Indus-Ganges plain. All ranges of skin color can be found among the inhabitants, ranging from the dark-skinned Dravidians of the south to the light-Aryans of the north. In religion, 83 per cent are Hindus and eat no beef; some Hindus practice strict vegetarianism. Religion is an exceedingly important aspect of Indian life and here as nowhere else can one find such a profession of faith. Besides the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs, India has Muslems, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and many others. Hindi is the national language and is spoken and understood by a majority of the people.
Within the last 5000 years of its existence India has been invaded by many people, among them the Aryans, about 1500 B.C., the Persians about 500 B.C., the Greeks under Alexander the Great in 326 B.C., the Moghuls in the 16th century, and finally by various European nations, including Portugal, France and England. Interspersed among these major invasions were intrusions by Mongols, Scythians, Parthians, Huns, Arabs and Turks. Throughout the entire era Indian tribal life went on almost unmolested in the more remote inland and mountain areas. The influence of some of the invaders was profound, but none led to any break in the continuity of the Indian civilization, which is among the oldest in the world. Rather, there was a synthesis between the old and the new, a blending of cultures which resulted in the absorption of the newcomers. The British, who became dominant in the 18th century, finally relinquished their power in 1947. The British influence still persists, however, in systems of law, government, and education and also in the continued wide use of the English language.
After years of struggle, led by Mahatma Gandhi, India emerged in 1947 as a sovereign nation. Under the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, it became a republic in 1950. Under the constitution, discrimination and the practice of
"untouchability" is forbidden by law.
The "Bazaar in Old Delhi" exhibit is a small cross section of the exciting, colorful and almost unbelievably crowded market place located in the old section of Delhi, capital of India.
SHIVA NATARAJA: LORD OF THE DANCE
Shiva belongs to the great triad of Hindu deities, which includes Brahma, the Creator, and Vishnu the Sustainer.
Shiva and his wife Parvati (also known as Kali) are the parents of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Lord of Wisdom. Shiva's role is simultaneously destroyer and regenerator, bringing life into existence and then cyclically moving it out again. In a sense, Shiva represents Time itself and his "dance" symbolizes the cycle of balance and harmony that is the Hindu understanding of the universe.
This depiction of Shiva in his aspect of Nataraja, Lord of the Dance, is not an object of worship. Rather, it is a contemplation of movement, change, and transformation on a cosmic scale. His four arms reveal that he is a supernatural being beyond human time and human limitation. His upper right hand holds the drum that sounds the first vibration of Creation, while his lower right hand makes a gesture meaning "do not fear," for Shiva symbolizes both power and mercy. In his upper left hand Shiva holds the flame of destruction and change representing the movement between life and death. His lower left-hand points to his raised foot, symbolizing liberation from earthly desires. Shiva dances upon the body of the demon Apasmara Purusha who represents human lust and ignorance.