Ancient Hindu Kings Coming to the Indianapolis Museum of Art

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

"Atsua Avatar of Vishnu: The Slaying of Sankh Asura" (1730-1740)

INDIANA---The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian inter-related collection of animal fables in verse and prose, in a frame story format. This Spring, the Indianapolis Museum of Art will introduce these famous life lessons in "Fabled Kings" an exhibition of 16 Hindu paintings from its Asian collection. The 17th century Panchatanatra series painted at Udaipur, is based on an ancient Indian oral tradition featuring tales to teach life lessons often and is illustrated by anthropomorphized animals similar to Aesop's Fables. Composed in the 3rd century BCE, the five discourses produced for the three princes are titled "The Loss of Friends", "The winning of friends", "Of Crows and Owls", "Loss of Gains" and "Imprudence" — became the Panchatantra, meaning the five (pancha) treatises (tantra).

Indianapolis Museum of Art: "Fabled Kings" (February 21-August 24); 4,000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, IN; (317) 923-331; imamuseum.org