Gods on the Go – Vishnu Moves into the Humboldt Forum
News from 03/24/2021
The famous statue of the Hindu god Vishnu from the collection of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst was recently moved to the Humboldt Forum from the Dahlem district of Berlin, where the museum's storage depot will continue to be located.
That was no easy task, given the statue’s weight of almost 500 kilograms and its almost life-size height of around 1.65 meters. It comes from the region of Tamil Nadu in southern India and was carved around the turn of the 8th to the 9th century A.D. It was purchased in 1963, via a gallery in New York, by what was then the Museum für Indische Kunst (Indian Art Museum), a forerunner of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art Museum).
For many of the more than one billion Hindus in the world today, Vishnu is considered the supreme deity, often characterized as the "preserver." According to the sacred texts, whenever chaos threatens to engulf the world, he descends and intervenes to preserve order. The south Indian statue subtly expresses Vishnu's role as a king preserving the cosmic equilibrium: he stands with a stable posture in perfect balance; both feet are firmly on the ground, and his flawless, beautiful face seems to be relaxed in deep meditation. Vishnu is at peace with himself. His lower left hand is laid casually on his hip. The lower right hand, raised in front of the chest as if in greeting, signals to the observer: "Do not be afraid! I am protecting you." On his head is a high, jeweled crown, signifying Vishnu's majesty.
In the Humboldt Forum, the Vishnu statue is presented in a hall that is dedicated to the temple art of Hinduism, in particular its characteristic pictorial elements and its main features. The visitors are introduced to the central deities of Hinduism in their various manifestations and learn about the ritual use of idols.