ONLINE EXHIBITION

SACRED STORIES

Narrative in the Arts of India and the Himalayas

Stories have long been among the most powerful ways to convey religious teachings, preserve history, and inspire devotion. Across India and the Himalayan world, artists transformed sacred texts, legendary biographies, and epic events into vivid works of sculpture and painting that invited viewers to contemplate both the visible image and the deeper meaning it conveyed.

These six works illustrate that tradition through narratives spanning more than a millennium. The Buddha's previous lives unfold in a Tibetan Jataka Tales painting, while a Pala stone stele presents scenes from his final earthly life. Hindu mythology comes to life in a dramatic page from the Bhagavata Purana, where the goddess Durga confronts the tyrant Kamsa, and the life of Padmasambhava is celebrated through a richly-illustrated visual biography. The life of the Tibetan king Tri Ralpachen reflects the vital role of royal patronage in establishing and strengthening Buddhism in Tibet, and a cover from a Prajnaparamita manuscript reminds us that these stories were not only depicted in works of art but also preserved in the sacred texts that carried Buddhist teachings across generations.

Together, they reveal the richness of narrative in the arts of India and the Himalayas, where stories were not merely told—they were carved, painted, and preserved.