Indian Sculptures: Avatars of the Hindu Gods

As Hinduism developed in India, it enveloped a vast range of local deities into its pantheon; many new deities also emerged over time. Many Hindus regard these deities, totaling some 330 million by some believers’ count, as manifestations of one universal spirit known as Brahman, while others explain the supreme deity in female form, or Shakti.

When these deities appear in the world to offer guidance to humans or right wrongs, they take a material form, or avatar. The sculptures in this exhibition show some of the infinite avatars in which these deities can manifest, and recount stories from Hindu tradition.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website