Padma Kaimal, Batza Professor of Art, delivered a presentation on Thursday, Jan. 29 about a set of religious statues found in South India. The sculptures were carved around the year 900 for a temple to yogini goddesses, who were known for their ability to channel energy and influence fortunes. Rulers and townspeople worshiped yogini goddesses to bring good energy to their kingdom or families.
Emily Hutton-Hughes, a Hamilton resident and attendee, commented on the significance of being informed on long standing traditions.
“I think Westerners tend to – at least, when I was in college – negate the role of ancient societies and their importance,” Hutton-Hughes said. “It’s always important to hear about another area of the world that you don’t know much about and to compare it to what was happening [elsewhere] at the time.”
The sculptures are not only a window into India’s historical traditions, but they give us insight into the present. Kaimal displayed a particular set of 13 sculptures, which were taken from India in the 1800s and sold to museums in North America and Europe.
Kaimal highlighted the subtleties of each sculpture, because the unique facial features and details on clothing indicate how much care and personal attention the artists put into the worship of yogini goddesses. As Kaimal explained, that attention to detail is especially important due to the subject matter.
“People sit in front of these sculptures and are deeply moved and begin to start thinking very flexibly when they see these goddesses. They start thinking about what power is. Is power gendered? Is power female? Is power male? Can power be just power?” Kaimal said.
The sculptures challenge what many viewers assume about power throughout history. While it is common to associate power with masculinity, these goddesses reveal how respect and worship for symbols of femininity go back centuries. This revelation fascinated viewers, especially local Hamilton resident Carol Winer.
“I was just fascinated by the yoginis themselves, which I didn’t know about, and how they relate to the suppression of women in religions in various parts of the world,” Winer said.
When asked about the key takeaways from the story of yogini, Kaimal called attention to the injustice of robbing collections.
“I feel that it’s really problematic that they were removed from their temple where at least some of them were being worshiped. I think it’s problematic that they’re separated from each other because their whole meaning resides in being part of a group,” Kaimal said.
Instead of being respected, worshiped and used for their original purpose, colonial powers took the Yogini from their original place of worship and put them in museums. However, there is a silver lining. A fourteenth yogini goddess is still cared for at a temple in rural India, serving as a symbol of the power that the yogini hold today.
