ARTH 180 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Mudra, Chaitya, Shahzia Sikander
Document Summary
Male figure dressed in costume wearing head dressed with possibly horns representing some type of ritual. Animals in the background that represent power. Could be an early figure of shiva. Could be the depiction of the ideal male . Social characteristics: no evidence of artistic expression, formation of hindu and buddhist belief systems, sanskrit writing system, caste system. Vedas earliest 2nd millennium bc: codification of ritual. Upanishads 800-600 bc: philosophical exploration of truths, aniconic means pictures and no no pictures . Basics of hinduism: no founder or great prophet, not a unified, organized religion, cannot be generalized. Some theological principles: brahman supreme reality, unifying principle. He is the reality, the world we live in is not: vishnu preserver. Reestablishes order in the world: shiva destroyer and regenerator, devi goddess. Samsara cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Karma consequences of actions and choices. Avatar incarnations of immortal beings on earth. Siddartha gautama 583-453 bc: historical buddha , shankyamuni .
