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The Guardian
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ancient India review – snakes, shrines and sexual desire power a passionate show
About 2,000 years ago, Indian art went through a stunning transformation led, initially, by Buddhists. From being enigmatically abstract it became incredibly accomplished at portraying the human body – and soul. You can see this happen in the bustling yet harmonious crowd of pilgrims and gift-givers you meet about a third of the way through this ethereal and sensual show. Two horses bearing courtiers or merchants are portrayed in perfect perspective, their rounded chests billowing, their bodies receding. Around them a crowd of travelling companions, on horseback and foot, are depicted with the same depth. Their bodies and faces are full of life, in a frenetic pageant, a bustling carnival, yet this human hubbub is composed with order and calm. It's a Buddhist masterpiece, which helps explain the inner harmony: one of a group of stunning reliefs in this show from the Great Stupa of Amaravati, excavated in the early 1800s by the East India Company and now owned by the British Museum. A stupa is a domed structure holding Buddhist or Jain relics, perhaps modelled on prehistoric mounds, but this one was embellished in the first century AD with sublime pictorial art. Buddha himself stands further along the slender stone block, taller and more still than everyone else. The exact dates of Siddhartha Gautama, the teacher and seeker of enlightenment who became the Buddha, are unknown but by the time this work was created the movement he started was about 500 years old and spearheading one of the most influential renaissances in the story of world art. This exhibition gets to that artistic truth in an unlikely way. It doesn't bother with the minutiae of stylistic change or dynastic history. Instead, it tells a passionate story about the three great religions of ancient India – Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism – and their vitality across time. You meet practitioners of these faiths in Britain today, sharing their devotion on film. This is a wonderfully direct way to blast the museum dust off such ancient art – and when that dust clears, you get a much better sense of its living power. Hindu and Jain beliefs are older than Buddhism (far older, in the case of Hinduism) but it was after the Buddhist breakthrough in storytelling art that they too became brilliantly figurative. Is it crude to see this as competition? It was at the very least a dialogue. At first I mistook a display of beautiful Jain statues for Bodhisattvas, Buddhist saints. In fact, the slender swaying grace of these figures embodies the ascetic Jain ideal of universal compassion. Yet the biggest, most spectacular artistic transformation was achieved by Hinduism. You can't get a friendlier, more paradoxically human deity than the elephant-headed Ganesha. A statue of him in this show, dating from about AD1100 to AD1200, is a technical miracle in the way the artist fuses an elephant's head with a human body – both precisely observed. But it's the pathos that gets you, the artist's intuition of the wisdom and sensitivity of elephants. Ganesha here is not just divine but lovable. Such moving, homely art is a long way from a black stone lingam, the older, aniconic Hindu representation of Shiva as a male tube being inserted into a female yoni. But sexual desire is a feeling too and the big difference between Christianity and the religions here is Indian sacred art's embrace of the erotic. Statuettes and plaques that date from as early as 300BC depict Yaksis, female nature spirits, with jewellery on their curvy bodies and the same spherical, bulging breasts that you see throughout the show. Female sexual and reproductive power are celebrated simultaneously in the art of all three great religions. Another relief from the Great Stupa of Amaravati portrays The Birth of the Buddha. Its main character is Gautama's mother, Queen Maha Maya. She lies on a bed in a curvy pose, and gives birth in a posture almost as luxuriant. Growing up in a Protestant Christian church, I thought of religion as a taking away, a denial. Here it is an addition – human and elephant, spirit and body, dream and reality. Life infuses these religions: they don't oppose themselves to it. That appetite for reality, as they attempt to make sense of the cosmos, mortality and desire, to find the dharma, must be what made India's religions so exportable. Many of us don't think of Buddhism as specifically Indian because it has spread so far so quickly. One of the most captivating works here is a silk painting of the Buddha set in a dreamworld of deep reds and greens, from a cave near Dunhuang, China, created in the eighth century AD. Nearby in the same final space is a statue of Ganesha from Java, one of the many places Hinduism took root. This is an exhibition with a true sense of mystery. Not just in the atmospheric way it is lit with coloured misty veils separating displays, or even the marvels you encounter such as a nagini snake goddess floating in the shadows – but in the way it worships life. Ancient India: Living Traditions is at the British Museum, London, from 22 May to 19 October
The Citizen
12-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 12 May 2025
Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. Buddhist and Muslim devotees release a lantern in front of Borobudur Temple, the world's largest Buddhist monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Magelang, Central Java, on May 12, 2025, as they commemorate Waisak, or Vesak Day. Vesak is the most sacred day for Buddhists, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, all traditionally believed to have occurred on the full moon day of the Vesakha month in the ancient Indian lunar calendar. (Photo by Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP)
The Star
12-05-2025
- The Star
Harmonious and devout Wesak Day celebrations held nationwide
KUALA LUMPUR: This year's Wesak Day celebration was marked with vibrant and harmonious gatherings as Buddhist devotees filled temples nationwide to observe religious rites. In the capital, worshippers began arriving at the iconic Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple in Brickfields from 8am to take part in ceremonies commemorating the birth, enlightenment and passing of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. The celebration also drew local visitors and foreign tourists eager to experience the occasion and gain a deeper understanding of Buddhist traditions. Among them was M Rajan, 45, a Hindu, who said he attended the event to honour his Buddhist friends and learn more about their beliefs. "Malaysia is a multicultural and multireligious country. I believe it's important for us to respect one another's faiths and celebrate together. This is one of the ways we can nurture harmony,' he told Bernama. Filipino tourist Jonathan Reyes said he visited the temple to gain a deeper appreciation of local culture and religious celebrations. "It's nice to see how peaceful and respectful the atmosphere is. I'm not a Buddhist, but being here today has given me a greater understanding and appreciation of Malaysia's spiritual diversity,' he said. In SELANGOR, visitors thronged the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, one of the main destinations and top choices for thousands of Buddhists during the annual Wesak Day celebrations. Temple manager Miao Yue, 52, said an estimated 30,000 devotees visited the temple since last Saturday (May 10), carrying out religious ceremonies and tributes marking the birth, enlightenment and passing of Siddhartha Gautama. In PERAK, over at the Enlightened Heart Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Tambun, Bernama observed thousands of devotees queuing to light incense, scatter flower petals and perform the ceremonial bathing of Buddha statues, joined by foreign tourists eager to experience the Wesak Day celebration as well. Wat Siribunya Maggarama on Jalan Raja Dihilir in Ipoh was similarly packed with devotees from all walks of life, with many families arriving as early as 8am, carrying flower bouquets and necessities such as rice to be donated to the temple. In PENANG, Wat Chaiya Mangalaram on Lorong Burma, Wat Buppharam on Jalan Perak, and Kek Lok Si in Air Itam were filled with visitors as early as 8am. The celebration was equally vibrant at the Malaysian Buddhist Association building on Jalan Burma, where devotees of all ages took part in religious rituals, including lighting incense and lotus-shaped candles. In PERLIS, Wesak Day was marked with great enthusiasm as thousands of devotees gathered at the Perlis Buddhist Society building in Kangar for religious ceremonies led by 28 monks. Society chairman Tan Chan Sin said a float procession would be held later in the evening to add a special touch to this year's celebration. In SARAWAK, Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian and Kuching South Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng were present to liven up the Wesak Day celebration at the Sarawak Buddhist Association building in Kuching. In KELANTAN, Wat Prachumthat Chanaram in Tumpat was the focal point for Buddhists from across the country, as Wesak Day was celebrated with reverence and solemnity. The temple, which has hosted annual celebrations for over 40 years, organised various religious activities including a procession of flower offerings and candlelight walks around the stupa three times, a symbolic gesture in honour of the life of Siddharta Gautama. Committee member Thom Ija, 67, said nearly 200 devotees had gathered since last night to take part in the religious rituals, which will continue until Tuesday (May 13). A visitor from Selangor, Kok, 69, said he makes the long journey each year, drawn by the temple's peaceful atmosphere and the opportunity to pay tribute to the teachings of Siddharta Gautama by visiting several other temples in the area. - Bernama
The Sun
12-05-2025
- The Sun
Harmonious and devout Wesak Day celebrations held nationwide
KUALA LUMPUR: This year's Wesak Day celebration was marked with vibrant and harmonious gatherings as Buddhist devotees filled temples nationwide to observe religious rites. In the capital, worshippers began arriving at the iconic Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple in Brickfields from 8 am to take part in ceremonies commemorating the birth, enlightenment and passing of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. The celebration also drew local visitors and foreign tourists eager to experience the occasion and gain a deeper understanding of Buddhist traditions. Among them was M. Rajan, 45, a Hindu, who said he attended the event to honour his Buddhist friends and learn more about their beliefs. 'Malaysia is a multicultural and multireligious country. I believe it's important for us to respect one another's faiths and celebrate together. This is one of the ways we can nurture harmony,' he told Bernama. Filipino tourist Jonathan Reyes said he visited the temple to gain a deeper appreciation of local culture and religious celebrations. 'It's nice to see how peaceful and respectful the atmosphere is. I'm not a Buddhist, but being here today has given me a greater understanding and appreciation of Malaysia's spiritual diversity,' he said. In SELANGOR, visitors thronged the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, one of the main destinations and top choices for thousands of Buddhists during the annual Wesak Day celebrations. Temple manager Miao Yue, 52, said an estimated 30,000 devotees visited the temple since last Saturday, carrying out religious ceremonies and tributes marking the birth, enlightenment and passing of Siddhartha Gautama. In PERAK, over at the Enlightened Heart Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Tambun, Bernama observed thousands of devotees queuing to light incense, scatter flower petals and perform the ceremonial bathing of Buddha statues, joined by foreign tourists eager to experience the Wesak Day celebration as well. Wat Siribunya Maggarama on Jalan Raja Dihilir in Ipoh was similarly packed with devotees from all walks of life, with many families arriving as early as 8 am, carrying flower bouquets and necessities such as rice to be donated to the temple. In PENANG, Wat Chaiya Mangalaram on Lorong Burma, Wat Buppharam on Jalan Perak, and Kek Lok Si in Air Itam were filled with visitors as early as 8 am. The celebration was equally vibrant at the Malaysian Buddhist Association building on Jalan Burma, where devotees of all ages took part in religious rituals, including lighting incense and lotus-shaped candles. In PERLIS, Wesak Day was marked with great enthusiasm as thousands of devotees gathered at the Perlis Buddhist Society building in Kangar for religious ceremonies led by 28 monks. Society chairman Tan Chan Sin said a float procession would be held later in the evening to add a special touch to this year's celebration. In SARAWAK, Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian and Kuching South Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng were present to liven up the Wesak Day celebration at the Sarawak Buddhist Association building in Kuching. In KELANTAN, Wat Prachumthat Chanaram in Tumpat was the focal point for Buddhists from across the country, as Wesak Day was celebrated with reverence and solemnity. The temple, which has hosted annual celebrations for over 40 years, organised various religious activities including a procession of flower offerings and candlelight walks around the stupa three times, a symbolic gesture in honour of the life of Siddharta Gautama. Committee member Thom Ija, 67, said nearly 200 devotees had gathered since last night to take part in the religious rituals, which will continue until tomorrow. A visitor from Selangor, Kok, 69, said he makes the long journey each year, drawn by the temple's peaceful atmosphere and the opportunity to pay tribute to the teachings of Siddharta Gautama by visiting several other temples in the area.
New Straits Times
12-05-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
Diverse crowd at Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple in PJ
PETALING JAYA: A diverse crowd of devotees and visitors flocked to the Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple here today to observe Wesak Day. Visitors and devotees arrived at the temple grounds as early as 6 am. Devotees performed various rituals and prayers, such as lighting oil lamps, offering joss sticks and bathing Buddha statues to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Special needs teacher Ratha Nadaraj said she had been observing Wesak Day at the temple for over 12 years. "As a Hindu, I can relate to Buddha's teachings, which is why I chose to come to the temple today," she said. She added that participating in the day's rituals enriched her understanding of Malaysia's religious diversity. Secretary Susan Thomas, who visited the temple for the first time today, was amazed by the various rituals being performed. "Usually, we only see the ceremonies from outside the temples. But today, we got to experience it firsthand — and it's very beautiful. "Every religion is beautiful, and I wanted my son and me to experience and celebrate the different traditions each religion offers," she said. Suriya Sun Nguan, a committee member of the Thai language school, was managing a food stall to help raise funds for the temple today. "Wesak Day means a lot to me as I am a Buddhist. My favourite part of the celebration is lighting oil lamps, which symbolises hope and a brighter future," she said. As the day progressed, more visitors arrived at the temple, eager to take part in the rituals and pray for peace and prosperity. Head monk and temple manager Phrakru Siribhodhivides estimated that more 10,000 people had visited the temple during the first two days of the festival, with more expected to attend the evening's float procession. "Today marks an important occasion for all Buddhists in remembrance of Lord Buddha. "As one of the largest Thai Buddhist temples in Selangor, we take pride in our unique Thai cultural decorations, which sets us apart from other Buddhist temples," he said. He expressed hope that future Wesak Day processions would become even more grand and meaningful. Temple secretary and committee member Dato Sa Wai @ Boon Chock said there growing interest in the temple's traditions from people of all backgrounds. "More devotees from different religions and racial backgrounds are coming to the temple and joining the celebrations. "This indirectly promotes intercultural communication," he said. He also noted a rise in participation among younger devotees. "Besides the older generation, more and more young people are coming to pay their respects and take part in the rituals. "Engaging the younger generation in these traditions helps them become more conscious of their faith and benefit from its positive values in their daily lives," he said. Built in 1957, prior to Malaysia's independence, the Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple was established on land donated by the Malayan government and later officiated by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. A focal point of the temple's celebrations will be a grand chariot that will circle the temple three times.
