Hindus are urging prestigious about $650 million museum Louvre Abu Dhabi (LAD), which is officially set to open in the near future, to enrich its collection of Hindu artifacts.
Welcoming the reported presence of 10th century Dancing Shiva statue in its permanent collection and a video posted on its website titled “The Cosmic Dance” showing various moves of dancing Lord Shiva; distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, called it a step in the positive direction.
But Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed the need to acquire more Hindu artifacts if LAD wanted to portray itself a world-class museum and prove its claims of a “Universal Museum” representing all regions and its intention of showcasing it as a “place of discovery, exchange and education”.
Art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth, Rajan Zed said and added that LAD needed to share the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world to demonstrate its “global vision”.
Construction of LAD, designed by renowned architect Jean Nouvel, and which is described as a “calm and complex place” and “museum city on the sea”, is said to be in its final stages. When functional, it will reportedly display Leonardo da Vinci’s “La Belle Ferronnière”, Vincent Van Gogh’s “Self-portrait”, etc. LAD, Abu Dhabi’s collaboration with Musee du Louvre of Paris, is claimed to be the largest global cultural project since New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which opened in 1870.
Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.
Source: World Hindu News (WHN)