Benoy K Behl One of the important sites of the Indus Valley Civilization is at Lothal in present-day Gujarat, on the western coast of India. Here, a large structure has been identified as a tidal dock for sea-faring ships (a remarkable feat for its time). There is a great deal of evidence that the Indus […]Read More
Benoy K Behl In the fourth millennium BCE, one of the earliest civilisations of the world was developing in the river valleys of the Indian subcontinent. In these fertile valleys, with the growth of agriculture, civilisations prospered. Instead of fighting for survival, people could now begin to improve their lives. The first sites of this […]Read More
Team L&M In what can be termed as a momentous day in the history of Indian photography, the image of the original photograph and digitally-restored photograph of the earliest surviving painting in a Hindu temple: Queen and Attendants, Earliest-Surviving Hindu Painting, Cave 3, Badami, 6th century CE, photographed in 2001 and digitally restored by art […]Read More
Benoy K Behl In Indic thought, the final truth which is sought is formless, arupa or nirguna. According to the Chitrasutra, for seeing the eternal, eyes are to be closed in meditation. Thus, in the heart of the sacred space, is made a symbol of that which is beyond the forms of the world around us, the stupa or the […]Read More
Benoy K Behl In ancient Buddhist temples, Jaina and Ajivika edifices, the simplest form, the stupa, was placed in the heart of the sacred space. In Hindu temples, it was the linga, or symbol, the mark of the formless eternal (nirguna) that was made in the sanctum sanctorum. These took us closest to the truth […]Read More
Benoy K Behl The great Borobudur stupa of the 8th-9th century CE in Indonesia clearly illustrates the purpose of the stupa in Buddhist thought. The vast stupa has exquisite relief made around it, which one sees as one goes around the stupa. At the lowest level of circumambulation, we are presented the kamadhatu, the life of passions […]Read More
Benoy K Behl Stupas are amongst the earliest Indian monuments which survive both of the Buddhist and Jaina traditions. Recent excavations near Nalanda have also unearthed a large stupa made between the 8th and the 10th centuries BCE. In Indic thought, the final truth which is sought is formless, arupa or nirguna. The concept of the stupa (of Buddhist, […]Read More
Benoy K Behl It was the beginning of the First Millennium BCE. There were many principalities of the northern plains of India. Some of them were Gana-Sanghas, with an elected council that ruled. In others, the concept of hereditary leaders was evolving. It was a time when great philosophic concepts, which were to last forever, […]Read More
Benoy K Behl Perhaps the most favourite subject of the early Indian sculptor is Durga as Mahishasurmardini where she kills the demon of ignorance in the form of a mahisha or buffalo. The depiction of her in a 7th century cave at Mamallapuram is one of the finest jewels of Indian art. In Indic thought, the only evil is […]Read More
Benoy K Behl The word “Puja” has sometimes been misinterpreted, by European writers, as “prayer”. Others have understood it correctly to mean “adoration”. Indic deities are adored, with incense, water, milk, flowers and through music and dance. The purpose of the philosophic path is for us to be able to see the truth beyond. To […]Read More
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