Oriental religions

This room presents a synthesis of the museum's Asian collections. Lack of space makes it impossible for us to show all aspects of the different, very rich cultures distributed about that enormous continent, so we have chosen a single connecting thread: the three large groups of religious beliefs with which they are all traditionally linked: Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. The abundant, heterogeneous objects presented in each of these three thematic areas show you how the divine is represented in each of these religions and which are some of their guiding principles or concepts: the doctrine of Muhammad and the five pillars in Islam; meditation, wisdom and nirvana in Buddhism; karma, reincarnation and liberation of the spirit in Hinduism. They also show how some of the rites through which believers put these principles into practice are like.

We invite you to observe both the differences and similarities between these three religions. On one hand, how the absence of images characteristic of Islamic aniconism contrasts with their multiplicity in Buddhism and Hinduism. On the other, how they share the practice of prayer as a way of approaching divinity, offerings of light, water or food, use of rosaries or pilgrimage to places considered holy.

This room presents a synthesis of the museum's Asian collections. Lack of space makes it impossible for us to show all aspects of the different, very rich cultures distributed about that enormous continent, so we have chosen a single connecting thread: the three large groups of religious beliefs with which they are all traditionally linked: Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. The abundant, heterogeneous objects presented in each of these three thematic areas show you how the divine is represented in each of these religions and which are some of their guiding principles or concepts: the doctrine of Muhammad and the five pillars in Islam; meditation, wisdom and nirvana in Buddhism; karma, reincarnation and liberation of the spirit in Hinduism. They also show how some of the rites through which believers put these principles into practice are like.

We invite you to observe both the differences and similarities between these three religions. On one hand, how the absence of images characteristic of Islamic aniconism contrasts with their multiplicity in Buddhism and Hinduism. On the other, how they share the practice of prayer as a way of approaching divinity, offerings of light, water or food, use of rosaries or pilgrimage to places considered holy.

This room presents a synthesis of the museum's Asian collections. Lack of space makes it impossible for us to show all aspects of the different, very rich cultures distributed about that enormous continent, so we have chosen a single connecting thread: the three large groups of religious beliefs with which they are all traditionally linked: Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. The abundant, heterogeneous objects presented in each of these three thematic areas show you how the divine is represented in each of these religions and which are some of their guiding principles or concepts: the doctrine of Muhammad and the five pillars in Islam; meditation, wisdom and nirvana in Buddhism; karma, reincarnation and liberation of the spirit in Hinduism. They also show how some of the rites through which believers put these principles into practice are like.

We invite you to observe both the differences and similarities between these three religions. On one hand, how the absence of images characteristic of Islamic aniconism contrasts with their multiplicity in Buddhism and Hinduism. On the other, how they share the practice of prayer as a way of approaching divinity, offerings of light, water or food, use of rosaries or pilgrimage to places considered holy.