Uma, a Hindu goddess, is seen depicted in a jade-like green. She is a fairly well known Hindu goddess, one of the stories she is best known for is that of her attempting to seduce Shiva. Uma did much to earn Shiva’s gaze (The Art Institute of Chicago), “…who waited for Shiva to court her, singing and dancing and making herself beautiful”. Uma did not get Shiva’s attention at first, and instead of continuing down the fruitless path she was on, she then decided to live just as ascetic life as he. Uma worked for his affection so diligently her devotion changed her appearance (The Art Institute of Chicago), “She was so committed to this path that she changed the color of her skin from its original black to gold”. Uma is not only Shiva’s lover but
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The Uma statue also depicts a beauty that was sought during its creation in the attire as well as facial features. This both explains the statue’s current state of color, turning from a golden bronze to green over time, as well as gives a strong understanding of some of the values and beliefs of the citizens of the Champa Kingdom. The Cham were, and still are, a group of individuals who descended from the peoples who were alive and living in the Champa Kingdom. There is no single conclusive piece of evidence that establishes the exact dates of the Champa Kingdom’s existence, however the longest estimated duration extends form the 2nd century to the 19th century. Although described as a Kingdom it was (O'Reilly, 127) “…best not thought of as a unified polity but as a collection of smaller domains that shared linguistic and cultural traditions”. Interestingly enough, starting around the 7th century the predominant religious group was dedicated to Shiva. The Hindu god, to them, was the creator, destroyer, preserver, revealer, and …show more content…
The time of her creation, indicated by the bronze metalwork and height of Hinduism near the 10th century, was at a time when Shaivism was still quite popular. This can be discerned by the slender, almost excessively so, figure she has. It is ascetic in a way that bears resemblance to the way Shiva spent his days. This means that this likeness was constructed after she had started down the path that would lead her to be with Shiva. Although she is slim and that seems to be the intent, there is still enough fullness to her body to represent fertility and the nurturing nature of a motherly goddess. It is a good balance between her devotion to becoming someone like Shiva and her duty as a goddess. This balance also is quite appropriately representative of the times considering near this era was the height of Champa Kingdom’s power. The balance between being able to stay healthy and nurture the growth of others as well as well as show restraint that is the most apparent aspect of asceticism, is a very powerful message for the times. Messages such as these in the form of something that even uneducated peoples could understand both consciously and unconsciously drove society forward. The incredible length of the Kingdom of Champa was probably driven forward by lots of meaningful pieces like this one.
The Uma statue also depicts a beauty that was sought during its creation in the attire as well as facial features. This both explains the statue’s current state of color, turning from a golden bronze to green over time, as well as gives a strong understanding of some of the values and beliefs of the citizens of the Champa Kingdom. The Cham were, and still are, a group of individuals who descended from the peoples who were alive and living in the Champa Kingdom. There is no single conclusive piece of evidence that establishes the exact dates of the Champa Kingdom’s existence, however the longest estimated duration extends form the 2nd century to the 19th century. Although described as a Kingdom it was (O'Reilly, 127) “…best not thought of as a unified polity but as a collection of smaller domains that shared linguistic and cultural traditions”. Interestingly enough, starting around the 7th century the predominant religious group was dedicated to Shiva. The Hindu god, to them, was the creator, destroyer, preserver, revealer, and …show more content…
The time of her creation, indicated by the bronze metalwork and height of Hinduism near the 10th century, was at a time when Shaivism was still quite popular. This can be discerned by the slender, almost excessively so, figure she has. It is ascetic in a way that bears resemblance to the way Shiva spent his days. This means that this likeness was constructed after she had started down the path that would lead her to be with Shiva. Although she is slim and that seems to be the intent, there is still enough fullness to her body to represent fertility and the nurturing nature of a motherly goddess. It is a good balance between her devotion to becoming someone like Shiva and her duty as a goddess. This balance also is quite appropriately representative of the times considering near this era was the height of Champa Kingdom’s power. The balance between being able to stay healthy and nurture the growth of others as well as well as show restraint that is the most apparent aspect of asceticism, is a very powerful message for the times. Messages such as these in the form of something that even uneducated peoples could understand both consciously and unconsciously drove society forward. The incredible length of the Kingdom of Champa was probably driven forward by lots of meaningful pieces like this one.