The Religious Influences on the Arts of India

India is a country with maximum diversity innumerous Gods and Goddesses. They worship
religion, region, race, languages and cultures. Thisthem and follow the path shown by them. This
fact is clearly manifested in the diverse art forms,even encouraged the Indians to build beautiful
paintings, architecture, folklores and folk dances.worship places. Whether temples or mosques or
India is said to be the home to the first knowngurudwaras or the churches all these religious
human civilization, the Indus Valley Civilization. Thebuildings are a treat to see.
Indian art has been influenced by various culturesThese buildings have the finest work of art
like the Dravidian, the Aryan, the Hindus, thedisplayed on them. People go there to worship
Mughals and the Europeans over a period of time.and find peace and solace. They have intricate
The deeply spiritual and diverse religious beliefscarvings and breathtaking interiors.
have played a major role in influencing the IndianHindus use different materials to make idols of
art. Religion is called the way of life. The effect oftheir gods. They can be seen in clay, marble,
religion can be clearly seen on the Indian paintings.wood, and even metals. The top of a famous
There are paintings depicting the life of lordgurudwara in Amritsar is even covered with pure
Krishna. These paintings are inspired by thegold and is rightly called the Golden Temple. One
happenings in the lives of their gods. You will findof the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj
beautifully painted picture of the birth of lordMahal is another monument to admire the Indian
Krishna, and some depicting his victory over theart of that time. The carvings on this tomb can
cruel king Kansa and various other episodes of hiseasily leave you wondering how much of hard
life.work has gone into it.
The Islamic period also had its influence on theSeveral religions including Buddhism, Christianity,
Indian art. This era was inspired by Persian art.Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism and
You will find the art depicted in form of miniaturesZoroastrianism. These have all influenced various
in tempera on paper. The Rajputana periodstyles of art, architecture, literature, music and
marked a change in the art forms. They had adance, and several lifestyles of people.
belief that the nature is sacred.India has a rich heritage in arts and architecture. It
This spiritual belief made them worship the variousnot only has the beautiful architectural structures,
forms of nature. This is even evident from thethe carved figurines and the sculptured objects
art of their times. You will find that their paintingbut it also has the art depicted in the field of
had trees, animals and people in harmony to onepainting, rhythm, dancing, and literary. The
another.uniqueness of Indian art comes from its spiritual
The Indian people have strong beliefs in theirinspiration and their religious beliefs.