MO7 Cultural Artifact | Hinduism (India)

MO7 Cultural Artifact | Hinduism (India) Author’s Name Institution Course Name Instructor’s Name Due Date MO7 Cultural Artifact | Hinduism (India) Sculpture Raksasa at Tjandi Sewoe from Dharma Traditions/ Hinduism (Geller, 2016) Description and Context In Hinduism, the Hindu texts refer to Rakshasa as supernatural beings associated with chaos, evil, and darkness in ancient manuscripts and temple carvings. Moreover, they are also in some stories, such as Mahabharata and Ramayana, within the Hindu epics. These stories usually represent rakshasas as adversaries of virtuous characters such as the Lord in Ramayana. Most of these stories generally represent Rakshasas as a being that usually prefers to engage in battles with heroes and gods since they typically thrive in deceit, destruction, and darkness, which can only thrive when there is chaos. Rakshasa is also a part of the cosmic order in Hinduism, representing the struggle between dharma (good) and adharma (evil). This is also evident since the artifact's nature instills fear (Pandey, 2023). The main reason for representing the sculpture in this manner is to emphasize its menacing and intimidating nature. Cultural and Historical Context Rakshasas have a massive place in Hindu mythology. For example, they have stories from ancient Hindu sculptures such as Puranas and Vedas. In Hinduism, these texts represent the world as a battlefield between good and evil, where good is d...