England’s Bowes Museum creating welcome rangoli for Lord Ganesha exhibition

From our correspondent

The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle in County Durham in North East England is creating rangoli to welcome visitors to “Celebrating Ganesha” exhibition, being held from May 21 to September 18.

Museum is raising minimum £2,000 for this 2½ meter wide rangoli pattern on the floor of its reception hall using pulses, beans and colored rice; and is asking for public involvement. Donors will be involved in creating rangoli installation alongside artist Raj Rani on May 17-18.

Main object of this exhibition is a 13th century 119 centimeters tall schist sculpture of Lord Ganesha carved in Odisha, which depicts many of its major attributes, showing him holding a bowl of his favorite sweets. It will be displayed alongside complimentary Gouache paintings and woodcut prints that depict Lord Ganesha in traditional scenes.

According to reports, this exhibition is divided into three themes: key beliefs of Hinduism, Hindu worship and Lord Ganesha. It will also include interactives for children, music, films, traditional Indian clothing, items for children to try on, rangoli patterns, a story area, craft table and puja tray holding seven items—a bell, lamp, incense holder and incense, water container and spoon, powder container, blessed food and a statue. There will also be a Hindu shrine, illustrating how one might be set up in the home.

Commending Bowes Museum for showcasing Lord Ganesha in sculpture, paintings and prints; distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Chicago today, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d’Orsay of Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking.

The Bowes Museum, opened in 1892, whose aim is “to foster a deeper understanding of art and culture”, is known for its extensive collections of ceramics and the “Silver Swan”. Adrian Jenkins is the Director while Amy Bainbridge is the curator of this Ganesha exhibition.