Why India Needs A Museum Of Hindu Art

News18

20-05-2025

Last Updated:
Like the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Hinduism's influence also needs to be contextualised and presented to the world—and to Hindus too
Qatar is even more in the spotlight because of the ongoing talks there on the Gaza issue, but with the World Museum Day just gone by, it is also worthwhile to see the implications of the spectacular Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. As an exposition of the apparent grandeur and breadth of Islamic endeavour in the arts, the museum offers a very eloquent counter to the impression that the religion and its adherents have scarce respect for or interest in this field.
However, visitors cannot help but notice that many of the exhibits are not Islamic at all but pre-Islamic. Once upon a time that chronology would have been enough to deem them un-Islamic in the eyes of the faithful, but there are clearly cleverer minds at work nowadays than the preachers of doctrinaire Islam that led the Taliban to blow up the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan in 2001 and also loot and destroy around 2,750 antiquities at the Kabul Museum.
That led many around the world to fear for the future of all antiquities in museums in Islamic countries as well the safety of pre-Islamic architectural and cultural heritage sites in territories in their control. Something had to be done to reassure the world that all those within the Islamic world were not inevitable 'iconoclasts' when it came to art that did not conform to its strict tenets. Setting up institutions that would help control the narrative became an imperative.
Thanks to the deep coffers of the Qatari dynasty, smart money was invested in collecting not only 'Islamic art' but also 'art from the Islamic world' (past and present) for the Museum of Islamic Art—designed by the legendary IM Pei—in 2008. It now contains a magnificent, varied body of work, even from countries like India and Spain that are no longer ruled by Muslim dynasties, thereby making a very persuasive case for the beneficial impact of Islam.
Laying claim to the aesthetics and artistic output of all regions that once had Muslim rulers as 'Islamic Art" is a bit of a stretch because it's nearly impossible to assess the influence of the religion specifically. But showing how much Islamic artists were inspired by the regions' pre-Islamic art forms—which necessitated buying up many rare examples of both genres—counters the belief that Islam swamped or suppressed many local traditions as it expanded.
The Doha museum's stated aim is 'to celebrate Islamic art and civilisation, fostering cultural understanding and global dialogue" and it indeed offers a very alluring picture. Especially since the 'civilisational' angle has been a prickly issue with Christians propounding a similar narrative. The Hagia Sophia's journey from 6th century church to mosque to museum back to mosque in 2020 in Istanbul, for example, points to their tussle for civilisational superiority.
Art's connection to religion, and their role in a civilisation has for long been very successfully expounded by the Christian world, with many of the landmarks of human advancement linked to it. Both the Renaissance and the Reformation—periods that saw great progress in the arts—challenged and renewed interest in the Christian faith and thus cannot be excised from its remarkable cultural legacy. Thus, positing Islam as a similar force is a bold initiative.
There is no comparable single museum of Christian art, considering that religion reached all five permanently populated continents (Islam has not yet managed to establish control over the two Americas) and certainly altered and affected the cultures of all those places. Perhaps the current rules of political correctness make exhibiting honestly how Christianity impacted the regions where it holds sway a very tough call. Billionaire financiers would also be chary.
A large part of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem is devoted to Jewish art and the Wolfson Museum of Jewish Art focuses on the Jewish Diasporic Heritage, Judaica, and the evolution of art from the Second Temple period to the present, including contemporary art. There is also the Jewish Museum in New York, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme in Paris, and the Jewish Museum in Berlin. But none have the grand sweep of Doha's Islamic art museum.
Buddhism, surprisingly, also does not have a mega museum devoted to how it has impacted art and aesthetics across the world, although such a project would not be constrained by political correctness apprehensions. China has approached it tangentially via its Silk Road initiatives but not an institution like the one in Doha. China, of course, is the only nation with the economic heft to build a Buddhist art museum on that scale—despite its Communist government.
The benefit of conflating itself with the enormous reach of Buddhism in what it considers its special sphere of influence—South-East and East Asia—makes a Museum of Buddhist Art by and in China almost inevitable. Although, logically, India should be the venue, not only because Buddhism spread from here to the rest of the world but also because it has a sizable collection of Buddhist art already in museums around the country that can be tapped.
But while all these other religions have many nations that can host museums on their impact on the arts, only one country can be the venue for an exposition of the artistic impact of Hinduism: India. As there is now a serious relook at the decades of academic work on the perceptions and earlier misconceptions about Hinduism, this is the perfect time to set up a grand Museum of Hindu Art, not hiding behind the broader word 'Indian" fearing criticism.
Using the same principle as the museum in Doha, it would also include regions that were once under Hindu rule as part of its sweep. That would mean going beyond the boundaries of Akhand Bharat to include most of South-East Asia, parts of Central Asia—and even West Asia, including the definite effect of Hindu astronomy and mathematics on the cultures there. There is evidence of past Hindu influence on even Oman, Bahrain, Yemen including temples.
Apart from what the world may learn from such a museum, it would also be of immense help to tell Hindus in India—and elsewhere too—about the actual ambit of their religion and the visible (and some now-invisible) impact it has had on the arts, and aesthetics of those areas and vice versa. Right now much of the academic and cultural discourse on art centres on the Buddhist and Islamic influence on 'Indian' aesthetics, thereby constricting the scope of Hindu art.
A museum that not only traces its evolution but compares and contrasts the interactions of Hindu art with those of other regions and religions would be an eye-opener. Especially if it could be showcased in an iconic receptacle speaking an international idiom (not colonial or revivalist), encapsulating the links between Hinduism's vast and diverse past history in fine and decorative arts and its current status. India needs a modern temple to Hinduism's art heritage.
The author is a freelance writer. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views.
Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
May 20, 2025, 11:08 IST
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