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Home , Kali, Shiva, Varanasi

: Photography by Larry Snider An Introduction for Educators March 21 - June 13, 2010

Overview Larry Snider has been taking photographs in locations around the world for 30 years. He documents the people and landscape of a particular region, making a personal connection with that place and its culture. In this series, Snider explores the of Varanasi (also known as Benares), situated on the west bank of the () River in the Indian state of . Varanasi is considered to be the most sacred of ’s seven holy and it is vis- ited annually by more than 1,000,000 Hindu , who believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying and being cremated in Varanasi releases a person’s soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. wrote: “Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” Larry Snider is based in Chicago. He has produced major photo- graphic studies on Peru, China, , and Myanmar among other locations. His work is in the permanent collections of over 20 mu- seums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Photography and the Center for Creative Photography Online Resources Larry Snider’s website: www.sniderphoto.com The Holiwater Project, inspired by the sacred Ganges river: www.holiwater.com District Varanasi Website: varanasi.nic.in Discussion Sparks • What do you see in these images? • What pose are the figures taking? What does their pose reveal about them? • What in these images looks familiar to you? What looks un- on Kedara Kenda Steps, 2008 familiar? Untitled, 2005 Greeting a New Day at the Ganges, 2008 Important Concepts and Ideas Ganges The Ganges is one of the major riv- ers of the , flow- ing east through the Gangetic Plain of northern India into Bangladesh. It has long been considered a holy river by and worshiped as the - dess Ganga in . As used in many parts of , the term refers to a series of steps leading down to a body of wa- ter. In Bengali-speaking regions, this set of stairs can lead down to some- thing as small as a pond or as large as a major river. In English- and/or -speaking areas ‘ghats’ refers to the areas, in the holy river-side cities where stairs exist to access the Ganges River. The numer- ous significant ghats along the Ganges are known generally as the ‘Varanasi ghats’ and the ‘ghats of the Ganges’. Hinduism Hinduism refers to a religious tradition which evolved organically and spread over a large territory marked by significant ethnic and cultural diversity. It evolved both by innovation from within, and by assimilation of external tradi- tions or cults into fold. The result is an enormous variety of religious traditions, ranging from innumerable small, unsophisticated cults to major religious movements with millions of adherents spread over the entire sub- continent. Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include (ethics/duties), Samsara (The continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth), (action and subsequent reaction), (liberation from samsara), and the various (paths or practices). Jainism is an ancient religion of India that prescribes a path of peace and non- violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice rely mainly on self-effort in progressing the soul on the spiritual ladder to divine conscious- ness. It is a Holy Place, 2009, Archival Inkjet Print Untitled, 2009, Archival Inkjet Print Kali is the Hindu associated with eternal energy. Kali is today con- Untitled, 2009, Archival Inkjet Print sidered the goddess of and change. Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest as a figure of annihilation still has some influence. Dennos Museum Center Northwestern Michigan Shiva (meaning auspicious one) is a major Hindu deity. He is generally rep- 1701 E. Front St. resented in deep . The Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi is Traverse City, MI 49686 (231) 995-1055 dedicated to Shiva. www.dennosmuseum.org