#hindu art history

[sexypinkon]

Sexypink - From the Facebook page of Niala DB

On this Indian Arrival Day (May 30th 2023),  I present you with original artwork- temple murals - from the Indentured ancestors which have been preserved on the walls of the Moose Bhagat Hindu Temple, George Village Tableland. This religious and once tribally-important building was constructed by Pundit Mahandat Moose Bhagat Dass in 1904 and is preserved by his descendants, although it seems the pundit line is no more. This temple is written as being the second oldest in the Caribbean ( I do not have the facts to confirm this).  

I don't share DNA with this possible ancestor-in law, but I thought the journey worthwhile. I feel I see a Bhagat clan resemblance in the faded photo of Moose but, that might just be wishful thinking. It was a joy to behold the art of the ancient Indentured from India. I wonder how old were the artists?  

May they all continue to sleep in peace, giants they once were.

[rrcraft-and-lore]

In addition to my Monkey Man post from earlier, the always kind & sweet Aparna Verma (author of The Phoenix King, check it out) asked that I do a thread on Hijras, & more of the history around them, South Asia, mythology (because that's my thing), & the positive inclusion of them in Monkey Man which I brought up in my gushing review.

Hijra: They are the transgender, eunuch, or intersex people in India who are officially recognized as the third sex throughout most countries in the Indian subcontinent. The trans community and history in India goes back a long way as being documented and officially recognized - far back as 12th century under the Delhi Sultanate in government records, and further back in our stories in Hinduism. The word itself is a Hindi word that's been roughly translated into English as "eunuch" commonly but it's not exactly accurate.

Hijras have been considered the third sex back in our ancient stories, and by 2014 got official recognition to identify as the third gender (neither male or female) legally. Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India have accepted: eunuch, trans, intersex people & granted them the proper identification options on passports and other government official documents.

But let's get into some of the history surrounding the Hijra community (which for the longest time has been nomadic, and a part of India's long, rich, and sometimes, sadly, troubled history of nomadic tribes/people who have suffered a lot over the ages. Hijras and intersex people are mentioned as far back as in the Kama Sutra, as well as in the early writings of Manu Smriti in the 1st century CE (Common Era), specifically said that a third sex can exist if possessing equal male and female seed.

This concept of balancing male/female energies, seed, and halves is seen in two places in South Asian mythos/culture and connected to the Hijra history.

First, we have Aravan/Iravan (romanized) - who is also the patron deity of the transgender community. He is most commonly seen as a minor/village deity and is depicted in the Indian epic Mahabharata. Aravan is portrayed as having a heroic in the story and his self-sacrifice to the goddess Kali earns him a boon.

He requests to be married before his death. But because he is doomed to die so shortly after marriage, no one wants to marry him.

No one except Krishna, who adopts his female form Mohini (one of the legendary temptresses in mythology I've written about before) and marries him. It is through this union of male, and male presenting as female in the female form of Mohini that the seed of the Hijras is said to begun, and why the transgender community often worships Aravan and, another name for the community is Aravani - of/from Aravan.

But that's not the only place where a gender non conforming divine representation can be seen. Ardhanarishvara is the half female form of lord Shiva, the destroyer god.

Shiva combines with his consort Parvarti and creates a form that represents the balancing/union between male/female energies and physically as a perfectly split down the middle half-male half-female being. This duality in nature has long been part of South Asian culture, spiritual and philosophical beliefs, and it must be noted the sexuality/gender has often been displayed as fluid in South Asian epics and the stories. It's nothing new.

Many celestial or cosmic level beings have expressed this, and defied modern western limiting beliefs on the ideas of these themes/possibilities/forms of existence.

Ardhanarishvara signifies "totality that lies beyond duality", "bi-unity of male and female in God" and "the bisexuality and therefore the non-duality" of the Supreme Being.

Back to the Hijra community.

They have a complex and long history. Throughout time, and as commented on in the movie, Monkey Man, the Hijra community has faced ostracization, but also been incorporated into mainstream society there. During the time of the Dehli Sultanate and then later the Mughal Empire, Hijras actually served in the military and as military commanders in some records, they were also servants for wealthy households, manual laborers, political guardians, and it was seen as wise to put women under the protection of Hijras -- they often specifically served as the bodyguards and overseers of harems. A princess might be appointed a Hijra warrior to guard her.

But by the time of British colonialism, anti-Hijra laws began to come in place folded into laws against the many nomadic tribes of India (also shown in part in Monkey Man with Kid (portrayed by Dev Patel) and his family, who are possibly

one of those nomadic tribes that participated in early theater - sadly by caste often treated horribly and relegated to only the performing arts to make money (this is a guess based on the village play they were performing as no other details were given about his family).

Hijras were criminalized in 1861 by the Indian Penal Code enforced by the British and were labeled specifically as "The Hijra Problem" -- leading to an anti-Hijra campaign across the subcontinent with following laws being enacted: punishing the practices of the Hijra community, and outlawing castration (something many Hijra did to themselves). Though, it should be noted many of the laws were rarely enforced by local Indian officials/officers. But, the British made a point to further the laws against them by later adding the Criminal Tribes Act in 1871, which targeted the Hijra community along with the other nomadic Indian tribes - it subjected them to registration, tracking/monitoring, stripping them of children, and their ability to sequester themselves in their nomadic lifestyle away from the British Colonial Rule.

Today, things have changed and Hijras are being seen once again in a more positive light (though not always and this is something Monkey Man balances by what's happened to the community in a few scenes, and the heroic return/scene with Dev and his warriors). All-hijra communities exist and sort of mirror the western concept of "found families" where they are safe haven/welcoming place trans folks and those identifying as intersex.

These communities also have their own secret language known as Hijra Farsi, which is loosely based on Hindi, but consists of a unique vocabulary of at least 1,000 words.

As noted above, in 2014, the trans community received more legal rights.

Specifically: In April 2014, Justice K. S. Radhakrishnan declared transgender to be the third gender in Indian law in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India.

Hijras, Eunuchs, apart from binary gender, be treated as "third gender" for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under Part III of our Constitution and the laws made by the Parliament and the State Legislature. Transgender persons' right to decide their self-identified gender is also upheld and the Centre and State Governments are directed to grant legal recognition of their gender identity such as male, female or as third gender.

I've included some screenshots of (some, not all, and certainly not the only/definitive reads) books people can check out about SOME of the history. Not all again. This goes back ages and even our celestial beings/creatures have/do display gender non conforming ways.

There are also films that touch on Hijra history and life. But in regards to Monkey Man, which is what started this thread particularly and being asked to comment - it is a film that positively portrayed India's third sex and normalized it in its depiction. Kid the protagonist encounters a found family of Hijras at one point in the story (no spoilers for plot) and his interactions/acceptance, living with them is just normal. There's no explaining, justifying, anything to/for the audience. It simply is. And, it's a beautiful arc of the story of Kid finding himself in their care/company.

[h0bg0blin-meat]

Hindu men if they were secure enough in their masculinity:

[hindulivesmatter]

Karna

[the-cricket-chirps]

Flying Apsaras

Japan

Late 11th to early 12th century

[wayti-blog]

Temple of the Sun - Gujarat - India

Woven into the rich tapestry of Indian heritage, the ancient Sun Temple in Gujarat (Modhera), is a Hindu temple that is older than the Konark Sun Temple in Orissa and stands as a testament to astronomical science and artistic mastery. Dedicated to the solar deity Surya, the temple functions as an ancient observatory, strategically capturing the Sun's rays twice a year during the solar equinoxes and, on the summer solstice day, embodying cosmic knowledge and wisdom. As per the Vedas, India's ancient sacred texts, the sun is seen as the soul of the universe and the source of energy sustaining all life on Earth.

Constructed during the rule of Bhima I of the Chaulukya dynasty, it was built between 1026-27 CE on the banks of the river Pushpavati. The 1000-year-old temple encapsulates ancient India's harmonious coexistence of intricate sculptures, exquisite artisanship, astronomical science, celestial alignment, and deep-rooted spirituality.

source

[usedtobekrampus]

I want to make an ilustration of Ratri, the Hindu goddess of the night, but I don't know anything about this subject myself, and I want it to be as authentic as possible, their are aparently no primary source depictions of her. can anyone give me some advice for how i can make it more acurate?

most basicaly, id like to know what all these outfits and symbolism mean and what would be most fitting...

...but litteraly anything would be a great help

please reblog, i don't have enough followers to reach the intended audience

[curiouscatalog]

From: Transactions - The Royal Society of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. 9. 1823.

Q41 .E2 v. 9

[borgiabeacon]

The Endless Epic: Mahābhārata

Heard of Mahābhārata? This ancient Indian epic is about ten times the length of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey combined.

Meaning: it never ends.

Its longest version consists of over 100,000 śloka or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each śloka is a couplet), and long prose passages. At about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahābhārata is about four times the length of the Rāmāyaṇa, compiled as oral and written stories between 3rd century BCE and the 4th century CE.

It is an ultra-marathon of moral conundrums, philosophical dilemmas, and the classic tussle between team good and team evil, all rolled into an astonishing narrative feast.

[indianmovielinks]

OPENING QUOTE - Jigarthanda Double X

[veren4h4chi]

destruction

[h0bg0blin-meat]

SHIVJI STOP SLAYING SO HARD WTF

[hindulivesmatter]

Arjun on the battlefield.

[lionofchaeronea]

Sculpture (schist) of the Hindu deity Vishnu. Unknown Nepalese artist, in the style of Changu Narayan; 9th century. Now in the Cleveland Museum of Art.

[purple-worm]

Some excerpts from Adv. Vrinda Grover's statement at the Supreme Court of India, as a part of the 15 petitions that were heard for the marriage equality bill. She presented arguments for the concept of a chosen family which was a more progressive stance on how families/unions could be defined by the constitution and it goes beyond just same-sex marriage. It could cover polyamory and recognition of queerplatonic intimacies between 2 or more individuals, and much more:

“During COVID, a study that was done on trans persons found that when trans persons due to lockdown and the nature of the disease, had to return to their natal families and their homes. Over there they faced violence. They faced conversion therapy which is prohibited. And that was actually an illustration of what would happen if other social formations of care and support did not exist. This is what has been described as an atypical family. This form of chosen family is recognized in our law; for instance, adoption.

Adoption is a form of chosen family. Today we recognize families and we conceptualize family as by blood, marriage or adoption."

"There is increasing legislative and judicial recognition of a person who may not necessarily be conjoined through marriage or conjugal intimacies. In relation to the advanced directive, every person who is not a minor shall have a right to make an advanced directive in writing specifying any of the following individual or individuals in order of precedents he wants to appoint as his nominated representatives.

"..Ensure that laws and policies recognize the diversity of family forms, including those not defined by descent or marriage and take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure that no family may be subjected to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity of any of its members, including with regard to family related social welfare and other public benefits, etc. "

"I would say that what we are canvassing before this court is a different imagination. A new imagination of marriage and relationships and of family. An imagination which actually places at the foundation, love, care, and respect which may or may not come from the natal family because of my sexual orientation and gender identity.”

"There can be a feminist jurisprudence and feminist critique of family and that family can perpetuate caste purity and patriarchal control; so there may be persons who are of different sexual orientations and gender identities, which because of the hostility of natal families actually form intimacies that are non-marital, non-procreative, which are intimacies that are the only social conclave and support they can find."

Her statements were pleasantly surprising. Most of the earlier petitions chose to only focus on gay marriage and trans people having the right to marry, and I didn't expect any of the (star)lawyers/petitioners to go beyond that. But this. This is a sign of liberation. It reminds me a lot of the family code that granted marriage equality in Cuba. I love that we have some very progressive minds fighting this case.

[mahgnib]

Portion of a wall of an ancient Khajuraho temple, Madhya Pradesh, India