Hindu gods at New York’s Metropolitan Museum

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York is displaying “Earring for a Deity Showing Vishnu Riding Garuda” (17th-19th century) in its “Sacred Traditions of the Himalayas” exhibition which will run till June 14.

It is also showcasing 17th-19th century “Dish for Ritual Offerings with Durga Defeating a Demon”, 17-19th century “Amulet case with Vishnu” and a scroll painting dated 1651 showing Kubera and Durga.

Applauding Met for showcasing Hindu deities in an exhibition, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d'Orsay of Paris, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., besides Met, to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.

The exhibition announcement says that this installation features devotional sculpture, jewelry for the gods, elaborate mandalas, etc. A highlight of the display will be ritual costumes used by masked dancers who reenacted divine conflicts to ensure abundance and ward off malicious forces.

Founded in 1870, Met, one of the top art museums of the world, has large collections of ancient art; including Greek, Roman and Near Eastern. The Met’s mission includes art that “collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement”. Thomas P. Campbell is Met’s Director and CEO, while Daniel Brodsky is Trustees Chairman.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.