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Art of Asia

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A brief history of the cultures of Asia
Hinduism and Buddhism, a beginner's guide
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Hinduism and Buddhism, an introduction
Beliefs made visible: Hindu art in South Asia
Hindu temples
Introduction to Buddhism
Beliefs made visible: Buddhist art in South Asia
The historical Buddha
Introduction to the stupa
Buddhist monasteries
Images of enlightenment: aniconic vs. iconic depictions of the Buddha in India
Jatakas: the many lives of Buddha as Bodhisattva
Seated Buddha
Four Buddhas at the American Museum of Natural History
China
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A beginner's guide
Imperial China, an introduction
Chinese landscape painting
Chinese calligraphy, an introduction
Chinese porcelain: decoration
Chinese porcelain: production and export
Neolithic
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Chinese jade: an introduction
Jade Cong
Working jade
Shang dynasty (c.1600-1046 B.C.E.)
Oracle Bone, Shang Dynasty
Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 B.C.E.)
Da Ke Ding
Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 B.C.E.)
Ambition and luxury: Marquis Yi of the Zeng State
Han dynasty (206 B.C.E. -220 C.E.)
Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
Northern Wei dynasty (386-534 C.E.)
Longmen caves, Luoyang
Northern Qi dynasty (550-577)
Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)
Tang dynasty (618-907)
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Chinese Buddhist cave shrines
Mogao caves at Dunhuang
The paintings and manuscripts from cave 17 at Mogao (1 of 2)
The paintings and manuscripts from cave 17 at Mogao (2 of 2)
Attributed to Zhou Fang, Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair
Song dynasty (960-1279)
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Neo-Confucianism and Fan Kuan, Travelers by Streams and Mountains
Master of the (Fishing) Nets Garden
Liang Kai, Poet Strolling by a Marshy Bank
Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)
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Zheng Sixiao, Ink Orchid
Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo)
Huang Gongwang, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains
The David Vases
Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
A Ritual Ming dish
The Forbidden City
Wang Lü, Landscapes of Mount Hua (Huashan)
Qing dynasty (1644-1912)
Bada Shanren, Lotus and Ducks
The European Palaces of the Qianlong Emperor, Beijing
Republic of China
Lang Jingshan and early Chinese photography
People's Republic of China (1949–present)
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Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan
Ai Weiwei, Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds)
Ai Weiwei, Remembering and the Politics of Dissent
Japan
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A beginner's guide
A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Jomon to Heian periods
A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Kamakura to Azuchi-Momoyama periods
A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Edo period
A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Meiji to Reiwa periods
Japanese art: the formats of two-dimensional works
Kofun period (300-552 C.E.)
Haniwa Warrior
Nara period (710-794)
Tōdai-ji
The Shōsōin Repository and its treasure
Kamakura period (1185-1333)
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Jizō Bosatsu
Prince Shōtoku at Age Two
Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace
Muromachi period (1392-1573)
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Bamboo in the Four Seasons: painting and poetry in Japan
Ryōanji (Peaceful Dragon Temple)
Muromachi to Momoyama period Negoro ware ewer
Edo period (1615-1868)
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A portrait of St. Francis Xavier and Christianity in Japan
Ogata Kōrin, Red and White Plum Blossoms
Utagawa Kunisada I, Visiting Komachi
Hokusai
Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)
Hokusai’s printed illustrated Books
Beyond The Great Wave — Hokusai at 90
20th century
Mori Mariko, Pure Land
Korea
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Gold and jade crown, Silla Kingdom
Korean Celadons of the Goryeo Dynasty
Water-Moon Avalokiteśvara
Portrait of Sin Sukju
Song Su-Nam, Summer Trees
Afghanistan
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Crossroads of the ancient world
Bamiyan Buddhas
Dado Panel, Courtyard of the Royal Palace of Mas’ud III
South Asia
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A beginner's guide
A brief history of the art of South Asia to 500 C.E.
Submerged, burned, and scattered: celebrating the destruction of objects in South Asia
Beliefs made visible: Buddhist art in South Asia
Bodh Gaya: The Site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment
Bodh Gaya: center of the Buddhist world
Beliefs made visible: Hindu art in South Asia
Discovering Sacred Texts: Hinduism
Varanasi: sacred city
Three Hindu gods
Ganesha Jayanti, Lord of Beginnings
The making and worship of Ganesha statues in Maharashtra
Introduction to Islam
Indus Valley Civilization
An Indus Seal
Mauryan period
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The Pillars of Ashoka
Lion Capital, Ashokan Pillar at Sarnath
Introduction to the stupa
Kushan period
A Buddha from Mathura
Gupta period
The Gupta Period
The Caves of Ajanta — Vakataka dynasty
The Cave of Shiva at Elephanta
Pallava dynasty
The Great Relief at Mamallapuram
Shore Temple, Mamallapuram
Durga Slays the Buffalo Demon at Mamallapuram
Chola dynasty
Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi as the Goddess Parvati
Rajarajesvara temple, Tanjavur
Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja)
Chandella dynasty
Sacred space and symbolic form at Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho (India)
The Delhi Sultanate
The Qutb complex and early Sultanate architecture
Mughal Empire
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The Taj Mahal
Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
Illustration from the Akbarnama
Exploring Color in Mughal Paintings
Rajput Mewar
A page from the Mewar Ramayana
Vijayanagara Empire + Nayak dynasty
The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai
Kingdom of Mysore
Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore
Tipu’s Tiger
Southeast Asia
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Cambodia
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Angkor Wat
The Looting of Cambodian Antiquities
The Scourge of Looting: Trafficking Antiquities, from Temple to Museum
Sotheby's Returns Looted 10th Century Statue to Cambodia
Indonesia
Borobudur
Thailand
Ban Chiang Clay Jar
Vietnam
Mỹ Sơn Hindu temple complex
The Himalayas
Tibet
Jowo Rinpoche, Jokhang Temple, Tibet
Sacred arts of Tibet
Mahakala, Protector of the Tent, c. 1500

Discovering Sacred Texts: Hinduism

by The British Library

Additional resources:

The British Library’s Sacred Texts website

Cite this page as: The British Library, "Discovering Sacred Texts: Hinduism," in Smarthistory, April 13, 2020, accessed October 20, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/sacred-texts-hinduism/.

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At Smarthistory we believe art has the power to transform lives and to build understanding across cultures. We believe that the brilliant histories of art belong to everyone, no matter their background. Smarthistory’s free, award-winning digital content unlocks the expertise of hundreds of leading scholars, making the history of art accessible and engaging to more people, in more places, than any other provider.

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