The Arts of Hindu Devotion

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

Devotion, or bhakti, has been expressed through art for over one thousand years in Hindu traditions within and beyond South Asia. In this course, students will engage with diverse primary sources for bhakti in both verbal and visual registers. These will include the Bhagavad Gita, poetic hymns of saint-poets, visual representations of gods, temple arts, poster arts, dramatic performance, and film. Students will learn how the history of bhakti relates to that of Hinduism and study its connection to social histories of caste and gender. We will also discuss what happens to devotional art as it crosses the boundaries of nation, culture, and media. (ASIAN-RL)