Cosmos and Eternity, Creation, Dissolution, and 'Re-Creation': Vishnu on Ananta
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26 Mar
27 Mar
2026
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Indian Aesthetics
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Vasudha Narayanan
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Image: Sheshashayi Vishnu - Ancient Stone Carving at the Preah Khan Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
This four-lecture series will focus on the concepts and images of Sheshashayi Vishnu in India and Cambodia. Working with literature and sculpture (up to the 13th century) in situ, and in many collections in both international as well as district museums, we will approach the topic in an interdisciplinary way. The history, texts, and art connected with Sheshashayi Vishnu will reveal that an image seemingly depicting stillness and yoga nidra is, paradoxically, also one of the most dynamic ones in Indian culture. The Sheshashayi Vishnu image explodes with action; that of creation, preservation, dissolution, and the ‘re-creation’ of the cosmos. And all of these are seen as ‘play’, (lila) or ‘recreational’ activities of Vishnu-Narayana. The talks will unfold both the textual and sculptural intricacies, the t imes and places where there has been an efflorescence of such images, and the stories as well as philosophies connected with the Sheshashayi Vishnu.
Session I: Floating on the Waters of Ocean, reclining on the Ocean of Milk: Anantasayi Vishnu Narayana in Literature
Session II: Sheshashayi in sculpture in the Indian subcontinent: Early 5th to the 13th century CE
Session III: Reclining on Ananta, Reclining on a Makara: Vishnu-Narayana in Inscription and Art in the PreAngkorian and Angkorian Periods in Cambodia
Session IV: Can there be an end to what is endless? Connections with other reclining figures and ‘finite’ conclusions on Infinity
Online Public Lecture on ZOOM
P.S: The Zoom link to join the lecture will be shared 24 hours prior to the talk.
Duration -
March 26, 27, 2026
Timing: Lecture: 6:30 - 8:30 pm IST
Fees
Rs. 2,000 (For student discounts registrations kindly email info@jp-india.org)
Register
Vasudha Narayanan
Vasudha Narayanan is Distinguished Professor, Department of Religion, and Director, Center for the study of Hindu Traditions (CHiTra) at the University of Florida. She is a past President of the American Academy of Religion (2001-2002) and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2023. Vasudha Narayanan was educated at the Universities of Madras and Bombay in India, and at Harvard University. She is currently working on Hindu temples and traditions in Cambodia. She is the author or editor of nine books and numerous articles, chapters in books, and encyclopedia entries. In addition, she is also the associate editor of the seven-volume Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Her research has been supported by grants and fellowships from several organizations including the Centre for Khmer Studies, the American Council of Learned Societies, National Endowment for the Humanities, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the American Institute of Indian Studies/ Smithsonian, and the Social Science Research Council.