SOUTH ASIAN OBJECTS FROM THE COLLECTION INDIA Sculpture from the Kushan Period Sculpture from North India, 5th-7th Centuries Jain sculpture Sculpture of the Pala Period Stone Sculpture from Hindu Temples Sculptures from South India, 8th-9th Centuries Bronze Sculpture of the Chola Period Art for the Mughal and Rajput Courts Hindu Temple Hangings Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet NEPAL Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet Sculpture from Nepal PAKISTAN Sculpture from the Kushan Period SRI LANKA Two Bodhisattvas from Sri Lanka		Stone Sculpture from Hindu Temples The Hindu temple represents a temporary abode for the gods, a place where they make themselves visible and accessible to the devotee. Temples are therefore important in Hindu worship, and a staggering number, ranging from undecorated brick buildings to enormous complexes, were built from the 7th to 14th centuries. Stone sculptures decorate both the interiors and the exteriors of the more elaborate temples; later temples are often completely covered in sculpture. Each piece of temple sculpture has a precise iconographic meaning and plays a role in identifying and celebrating the principal deity housed in the temple as well as in symbolizing the Hindu cosmos. Although the images in the Asia Society's collection are removed from their original context, the size, type, and shape of each piece suggest which part of a temple it once decorated.   1 thru 4 of 4   view text only list Ganesha Celestial Entertainer Celestial Entertainer Celestial Entertainer
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