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Art of Asia

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A brief history of the cultures of Asia
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, a beginner's guide
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Hinduism and Buddhism, an introduction
Hindu temples
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Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
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Chinese Buddhist cave shrines
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The paintings and manuscripts from cave 17 at Mogao (2 of 2)
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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
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Jōmon period, an introduction
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Haniwa Warrior
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Nanbokuchō and Muromachi periods, an introduction
Bamboo in the Four Seasons: painting and poetry in Japan
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Edo period, an introduction
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Utagawa Kunisada I, Visiting Komachi
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Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)
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Meiji period, an introduction
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Taishō period, an introduction
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Heisei period, an introduction
Mori Mariko, Pure Land
Korea
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Gold and jade crown, Silla Kingdom
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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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5000 B.C.E. - 1000 B.C.E.
A brief history of the art of South Asia to 500 C.E.
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An Indus Seal
1000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.
Indo-Gangetic plain
The Pillars of Ashoka
Lion Capital, Ashokan Pillar at Sarnath
Bodh Gaya: The Site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment
Bodh Gaya: center of the Buddhist world
Introduction to the stupa
Beliefs made visible: Buddhist art in South Asia
Jatakas: the many lives of Buddha as Bodhisattva
Beliefs made visible: Hindu art in South Asia
A Buddha from Mathura
The Gupta Period
The Caves of Ajanta — Vakataka dynasty
The Cave of Shiva at Elephanta
Images of enlightenment: aniconic vs. iconic depictions of the Buddha in India
500 - 1100 C.E.
The Deccan and the South
The Great Relief at Mamallapuram
Shore Temple, Mamallapuram
Durga Slays the Buffalo Demon at Mamallapuram
Sacred space and symbolic form at Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho (India)
Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi as the Goddess Parvati
Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja)
Three Hindu gods
Rajarajesvara temple, Tanjavur
1100 - 1500
Northwest
The Qutb complex and early Sultanate architecture
Introduction to Islam
1500 - 1850
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The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai
Tipu’s Tiger
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A page from the Mewar Ramayana
The Taj Mahal
Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
Illustration from the Akbarnama
Exploring Color in Mughal Paintings
1850–present
Discovering Sacred Texts: Hinduism
Submerged, burned, and scattered: celebrating the destruction of objects in South Asia
Ganesha Jayanti, Lord of Beginnings
Beliefs made visible: Hindu art in South Asia
The Deccan + The South
The making and worship of Ganesha statues in Maharashtra
Indo-Gangetic Plain
Varanasi: sacred city
Rahul Jain
Waqas Khan
Noor Ali
The Artist Project: Zarina Hashmi
The Artist Project: Shahzia Sikander
Inside Manish Arora’s Studio
Zarina Hashmi – My Work is About Writing
The Artist Project: Zarina Hashmi
The Artist Project: Nalini Malani
The Artist Project: Izhar Patkin
An interview with Sheba Chhachhi
An interview with Naeem Mohaiemen
An interview with Dayanita Singh
An interview with Sheela Gowda
The Singh Twins on the Impact of Empire
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
The Emerald Buddha and pandemics
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

Varanasi: sacred city

by Asian Art Museum

Video from the Asian Art Museum

Cite this page as: Asian Art Museum, "Varanasi: sacred city," in Smarthistory, January 28, 2016, accessed January 27, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/varanasi-sacred-city/.

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