Hindu deities lord over Buddhist nation of Japan
Though Japan is considered a Buddhist nation, there are over 1,000 Hindu temples in that country with several Japanese worshipping Hindu gods and following related traditions.
The most popular Hindu deity is Saraswathi. Osaka city has a tall 250 feet high Saraswathi idol which is 60 year old. Salarjung Museum is organising a unique exhibition of deities worshipped in Japan, in association with Japan Foundation.
Delhi-based Benoy K Behl, a culture historian, photographer, and film maker has collected many photos of Hindu gods worshipped in Japan which would be put on display at the museum from Saturday.
Mr Behl has taken over 46,000 photographs of Asian monuments, art heritage and made 132 documentaries. “This is quite a unique exhibition beginning on Saturday. Very few people know that the Japanese worship a large number of Hindu Gods. Though the pictures of Japanese Hindu Gods are slightly different having a little Buddhist touch, they are of Hindu Gods,’’ Dr Nagender Reddy, director of Salarjung Museum told Deccan Chronicle here on Friday.
Benoy Behl said that though the Japanese follow Buddhism they include Hindu gods including some Indians have forgotten. “There are innumerable representations of Lakshmi, Indra, Brahma, Ganesha, Garuda and other deities. In fact, deities we have practically forgotten in India, such as Vayu and Varuna are worshipped in Japan. I am displaying 80 odd photographs of various Hindu dieties,’’ Benoy Behl said.
He added that Japan has preserved ancient Indian traditions, even when they may have changed here in India. In Japan, Saraswathi is depicted and venerated not only with Veena (Biwa in Japanese), but also remembered for her association with water. She is also worshipped in pools of water. Saraswathi is called Benzaiten at the Yoshiwara Jinja temple, Tokyo, Ganesha is Shoten, Yama is Emma.