Resources

Learn about Hinduism in Bali.

Religion pervades many aspects of Hindu life, and religious observance is not limited to one location, time of day, or use of a particular text. It assumes many forms: in the home, at the temple, on a pilgrimage, through yogic practices, dance or music, at the roadside, by the river, through the observation of one’s social duties and so on. Learn more.

Hindu temples are numerous in form, and probably evolved from a variety of sources, including the worship of natural sites, mounds, trees, due to the need for a place to conduct ritual practices and house images of deities. Learn more.

Himeji Castle is among the finest surviving examples of the defensive structures built in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries as samurai strongholds and symbols of power. Learn more.

The Asian Art Museum presented Korea Foundation Korean Culture Day on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013 for the fifth consecutive year. This feast of Korean culture featured food, music and other performances as well as hands-on art activities for all ages. The festival was presented in conjunction with the museum’s special exhibition, In Grand Style: Celebrations in Korean Art during the Joseon Dynasty.

Learn more about hidden meanings in Chinese art from Asian Art Museum docent, Linda Lei. This talk was given to teachers from the Chinese American International School (CAIS) for their professional development day at the Asian Art Museum on August 23, 2011.

Hexagonal vase with phoenixes, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Reign of the Longqing Emperor (1567–1572). China; Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt and overglaze monochrome decoration. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P2349.

Guardian king of the west (Gwangmok cheonwang), 2002-2003, by Jae-u (Korean, born 1966). Ink and mineral colors on cotton. Gift of Jae-u, 2004.10.

The stone pagoda structure is called the Great Wild Goose Pagoda enclosed within the Ci’en (Temple of Mercy) monastery in present-day Xi’an. It was erected in 652 to commemorate the return of the temple’s abbott, the celebrated monk Xuanzang. This heroic figure to Chinese Buddhist history traveled west across the Silk Road and throughout India for sixteen years, exploring the homeland of Buddhism before returning with hundreds of sutras (Buddhist texts).

Ghatotkacha (Gatotkaca), son of Bhima (Bima), approx. 1970, by M. Ahim. Indonesia; Ciampea, West Java. Wood, cloth, and mixed media. From the Mimi and John Herbert Collection, F2000.86.78.