clothing

Ganesha sits on a lotus blossom deep in the forest. Carved by hand from cempaka wood, the Lord of Wisdom raises one hand in blessing. Ketut Sandi portrays the beloved god, son of Siwa and Durga, two of the most powerful deities in the realm of Hindu belief. His clothing and human posture evoke a sense of nobility while his elephantine face speaks of kindness and generosity. The Balinese artisan gives a distinctively Indonesian interpretation to Ganesha.

Hand-carved in lavish detail, this cempaka wood relief panel from Ketut Sandi depicts the romance of Rama and Sita, as told in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Creating a wonderfully three-dimensional vignette, the artisan carefully executes every nuance of the couples' ornate dress and each leaf on the tree. The artisan chooses to leave the wood unfinished to highlight its beautiful grain.

The Ramayana is an epic poem that plays a very important role in Hindu literature, life and culture. Tens of thousands of verses relate the story of Rama, an incarnation of the Lord Vishnu, and his wife Sita.

Seated on a tiger, Shiva lifts a hand in blessing. Regarded as the celestial overlord of deliverance through destruction, Shiva has his customary trident by his side as a show of divinity. The hissing cobra that slithers around his head symbolizes his potent divine destructivity, and his matted hair is thought to contain the flow of the Ganges River. Shiva is one of the most complex gods of India, embodying seemingly contradictory qualities. He is both the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger. Unaffected by the whims of the world, he is innocent and guileless, pure of mind and heart. He does not adorn his body with jewels or flowers — he mats his hair and dresses in animal hide.

Ida Bagus Lawa Bargawa is a master of the batik technique, sketching the figures by hand and applying the wax resist freehand, which requires great skill. A different dye bath is required for each separate color in his elegant and complex batik "painting."