Benoy K Behl-Frontline

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Indian stupas and European churches

Images in early church art in Spain, Portugal and Italy are remarkably similar to those of ancient Indian art in the stupas at Bharhut, Sanchi and els

Doorway of Madhavpura Mahavihara, Udaygiri, Orissa. This Buddhist site flourished from the 7th to 12th centuries CE. By then, the depiction of the world of nature on the temple doorway had become quite elaborate. Parallel bands were made depicting ‘vases of plenty’, and the spirit of nature emanates from them in the form of endless vines, playful boys and maidens who personify the fruitfulness of nature.

Indian art in European churches

Images in early church art in Spain, Portugal and Italy are remarkably similar to those of ancient Indian art in the stupas at Bharhut, Sanchi and els

01 Rama and Sita. Ramayana Ballet, Prambanan Temple, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Ramayanas of South and South-east Asia

The story of the Ramayana is enacted more often than any other story in the world.

Hindu deities in Japan

Even deities that have practically been forgotten in India are still worshipped in Japan.

Shrine, Mahabodhi temple, Bodh Gaya, Bihar. The temple is built at the spot where the Buddha gained Enlightenment, near Gaya in Bihar. The present structure dates back to the mid-5th century C.E. Xuanzang, when he came to India in the 7th century, described Bodh Gaya as 'the centre of the Buddhist world'. One of the four holiest places for all Buddhists, it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List of Monuments.-

Buddhist Legacy

Early Buddhism was founded on the Buddhas sublime message of love and self-discipline. This philosophic vision of life found representation in mighty

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BENOY K. BEHL

The range of hills out of which the ancient Bamiyan site is carved, in Afghanistan.-

Crossroads of cultures

A journey through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kalmykia in Russia, along the Silk Route, where Buddhism spread in ancient times.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, 17th century.-

Islamic heritage

From Kerala to Kashmir and from Tripura to Gujarat, India has a vast and rich heritage of Islamic architecture.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHL

Three-eyed Ganesa, Tangkha, Khuree style, late 19th century, Bogd Khan Palace Museum, Ulan Bator, Mongolia.-

Journey of Buddhism

THE vast spread of Indic philosophy across Asia since ancient times is one of the great miracles of history. The concept of samsara, of maya and mithy

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHL

On the island of Bali in Indonesia stands this dramatic depiction of Bali, a great hero from the Ramayana.-

Culture of compassion

GAUTAMA SIDDHARTHA is one of humanitys wisest teachers. He lived in the 6th century B.C. in the northern plains of India. He taught lessons of compass

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHL

The Buddha, Ayuthaya, Thailand. Amid the ruins of the many temples of Ayuthaya are sculptures that remind us of the past glory of this holy site.-

Great diffusion

One of the greatest stories of the diffusion of ideas is that of Buddhism, which spread right across the Asian continent.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Bodhisattva, mural, Sumtsek, Alchi, Ladakh. Early Indic art does not strive to present photographic reality. Its purpose is to present the grace that underlies all of creation. This graceful bodhisattva moves us and elevates us through the marvellous lines of his form.-

Himalayan home

Monks who fled from Nalanda and Vikramashila nurtured Vajrayana Buddhism in the trans-Himalayan region.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Sculpted beam, stupa railing, Kankali, Mathura region, 2nd century B.C. The pulsating vine of the abundance of the natural order is carried by human figures as it courses through the world, bringing with it the wealth of nature.-

Vehicles of peace

From stupas, Buddhist art progresses to a point where the human form is used to convey ideas that transcend mortal existence.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHL