The Sensuous Divine in the Art of Ancient India

In Hinduism the worship of the mother goddess goes back millennia. And the iconography is so powerful, so sensuous—so wholly unlike Judeo-Christian religious imagery—that looking at these goddesses can alter one’s conception of womanhood, and religion itself.

It is said that the mere touch of a Yakshi could cause a fruit tree to instantly bloom. In this glorious 11th century Yakshi, carved from buff sandstone, the celestial maiden dances amidst flowers. She radiates Shakti, the divine feminine creative power that, in Hinduism, is the agent of creation and of all change. Life bursts forth, around and from her.

In this medieval Parvati, carved into granite, the sensuous divine is evident. She stands with ample bosom, her weight on her right hip in a graceful curve. She symbolizes divine strength and power, yet is as delicate and refined as the lotus blossom she holds. You can feel the Shakti flowing through her.