Early Kashmiri sculpture reveals stylistic and iconographic links with art from the neighboring region of Gandhara (present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan). By the seventh century, however, the distinct theological trends and local artistic traditions in Kashmir had resulted in unique sculptural forms.

By the early centuries of the Common Era, the Kashmir Valley became home to devotees of the Hindu deities Shiva, Vishnu, and Devi. Shaivism, the worship of Shiva, dominated Kashmir's religious landscape and had a large community of followers. Many of the stone sculptures in this exhibition were originally associated with temples dedicated to these gods. To devotees, the sculptures were not only representations of the deities, but were actual manifestations of the spiritual as it was envisioned through verbal chants and meditation.

In Kashmir, emphasis on particular deities and aspects of faith made local practice unique. This exhibition features a number of sculptures that demonstrate specific local attachments to the goddess Durga, a manifestation of Devi, and the god of love, Kamadeva.

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