Reincarnated Gods: Changing Strategies of Display in Modern Hindu Temples in North India

Presenter:

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Abstract

Scholarship has stressed how the display in the devotional context is different from the display of an image in the context of a museum, which has been presenting images, removed of the many layers of clothing and religious meaning, as works of art (Davis 1997, Guha-Thakurta 2007, Paine 2013). In recent years, in an effort to attract and engage varied constituencies, curators have attempted to replicate the devotional setting in the space of the Western museum. This paper argues that if the museum has rethought object-centred display, the Hindu temple is not a static entity either, adopting modern strategies of display, including those in the museum. The manipulation of light, the use of labels and pedestals, foregoing or modifying the use of fabrics, are some strategies discussed in the context of the Saraswati Mandir (1960s) in Pilani, in Rajasthan, Akshardham (2005) in Delhi and smaller local temples in North India. Thus, the paper argues that the Hindu temple needs to be read not as a timeless institution but as an institution that adjusts to the needs and requirements of the time.