White boy Ganesh

[Guest guest]

Namaste all, I am writing to find out more about the disturbing

trend Ive noticed in Statues of Hindu dieties including Ganesh. I

Have just purchased a small statue of Ganesh as a child taking a

mudaka from a plate. What disturbs me is that his skin is the color

of a white man very light at that. This statue was made of Ganjes

clay in India so its not because it was made in america. I also own

a 13" statue of Krishna and Radha "Eternal love" Its beautiful

porcelin and maticulouslly painted ,but Radha is white as an English

woman. Why are these images not made with a more hindi skin tone. I

know why all the Jesus images look Italian but i cant explain this

one.

 

Thanks James

[Guest guest]

James --

 

Iconography in portraits of Hindu deities has varied depending on the

period it was made. There was a popular calendar painter (Rajah Ravi

Verma?) at the turn of the 20th century who began painting Hindu deities

with European skin tones, and the style became popular.

 

It is traditional that male-female couples have different complexions,

one dark, one pale. Krishna is traditionally dark, Radha is pale. Shiva

is traditionally pale, Parvati is dark. When a couple are both the same

shade, chances are that they do not have a sexual relationship (like

Bhairava and Mother Durga).

 

In the earliest portraits, the Gods were polychromatic -- none of them

had a skin tone found in nature, another sign of their divinity. Kali

was bluish-black, Rama was turquoise, Skanda was blood red, Sarasvati was

moon white. These days the only deities with a polychromatic complexion

seem to be Kali and Krishna -- and both are usually potrayed as sky blue!

 

Lord Ganesha comes in a wide variety of colors, depending upon his

function, although the most common shade is a reddish orange. I have

also complained, like you, of the "Europeanization" of the portraits of

Hindu deities. Don't know what to do about it, though, short of having

the images re-painted.

 

One of the importers of Ganges clay statues to the USA uses a caste of

<murthi> makers from Calcutta, who evidently see Ganesha as a form of

Lord Vishnu -- their statues invariably show Ganesha holding Vishnu's

weapons: conch-shell and mace, lotus and discus.

 

For what it's worth, the main <murthi> at the Hindu Ganesha Temple in

Flushing, New York City, is supposed to be Vallabha Ganapati, who has red

skin, ten arms, and his Shakti seated on his knee. But the Temple image

is black marble, and has only four hands, holding noose and goad, broken

tusk and bowl of modakas.

 

In your heart, Ganesha is whatever color you (or He) want him to be.

 

-- Len/ Kalipadma

 

 

 

 

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 12:07:15 -0000 "nhraddude71" <nhraddude71

writes:

> Namaste all, I am writing to find out more about the disturbing

> trend Ive noticed in Statues of Hindu dieties including Ganesh. I

> Have just purchased a small statue of Ganesh as a child taking a

> mudaka from a plate. What disturbs me is that his skin is the color

> of a white man very light at that. This statue was made of Ganjes

> clay in India so its not because it was made in america. I also own

> a 13" statue of Krishna and Radha "Eternal love" Its beautiful

> porcelin and maticulouslly painted ,but Radha is white as an English

>

> woman. Why are these images not made with a more hindi skin tone. I

> know why all the Jesus images look Italian but i cant explain this

> one.

>

>

 

 

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