A new exhibition titled Ancient India: Living Traditions has opened at the British Museum in London, offering a remarkable exploration of India’s deep spiritual history through art. Showcasing 189 extraordinary objects, this exhibit traces the transformation of sacred art in India over centuries, capturing how religious imagery has evolved from symbolic forms into more humanlike representations.
The exhibition spans an extensive timeline, featuring sculptures, paintings, narrative panels, and manuscripts dating back over 2,000 years. These pieces together provide a vivid portrayal of India’s religious and cultural expression, particularly through the three ancient faiths of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
From around 200 BC to AD 600, the Indian subcontinent experienced a striking artistic transformation. During this period, representations of gods, goddesses, saints, and enlightened beings transitioned from purely symbolic figures into human forms. This shift in visual representation signaled a turning point in how sacred imagery was interpreted and presented.
All three religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism—shared common cultural threads, including reverence for nature spirits like serpents and the peafowl. However, each religion also navigated profound changes in how deities and spiritual figures were visually conceptualized during this key era. Despite their distinct religious identities, these traditions converged artistically, revealing shared cultural foundations and mutual influences.
“Today we can’t imagine the veneration of Hindu, Jain or Buddhist divine spirits or deities without a human form, can we? Which is what makes this transition so interesting,” says Dr Sushma Jansari, the curator of the exhibition.
Organized into five distinct sections, the exhibition begins by focusing on ancient nature spirits and progresses through dedicated segments on each of the three religions. The final section explores how these religious practices and their artistic expressions expanded beyond India to regions such as Cambodia and China, highlighting their broader global impact.
One of the most compelling artifacts is found in the Buddhist section: a two-sided sandstone panel that beautifully captures the evolution of Buddha’s depiction. One side, carved around AD 250, shows the Buddha in a fully realized human form adorned with intricate details. The reverse side, created earlier between 50 and 1 BC, represents the Buddha symbolically through elements like a tree, an empty throne, and footprints.
This sculpture originates from Amaravati in southeastern India and once formed part of a stupa, a sacred Buddhist structure. The artwork stands out for illustrating a dramatic artistic transition within a single piece.
“To have this transformation showcased on one single panel from one single shrine is quite extraordinary,” Dr Jansari remarks.
In the Hinduism section, a noteworthy early bronze statue highlights the gradual shift in how goddesses were represented. Initially echoing the yakshi, an ancient nature spirit associated with fertility, abundance, and also destruction, the figure is easily identified by her floral crown, jewelry, and full-bodied form. However, she is also depicted with multiple arms carrying sacred items—a visual approach that later became typical in Hindu representations of female deities.
The exhibit also brings attention to Jain religious art, known for its focus on the tirthankaras, the 24 enlightened teachers. One of the earliest depictions is a mottled pink sandstone sculpture over 2,000 years old. These figures are distinguished by an endless knot symbol carved on their chests, signifying spiritual wisdom and continuity.
Many of these sculptures, regardless of religious affiliation, were crafted in shared workshops located in the ancient city of Mathura. This common production ground explains the stylistic similarities across Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious artworks.
What sets this exhibition apart, according to Dr Jansari, is its integrative approach. “Unlike other shows on South Asia, the exhibition is unique because it is the ‘first ever’ look at the origins of all three religious artistic traditions together, rather than separately,” she says.
Another distinguishing feature is the transparency in the sourcing of the objects. Each display is accompanied by notes detailing the object’s origin, including how it changed hands over time and how it was eventually acquired by museums or collectors.
One particularly intriguing revelation is the prominent role women played as patrons of Buddhist art. This detail adds nuance to the understanding of historical spiritual life in ancient India. However, one mystery remains unresolved—the exact reason behind the dramatic transformation from symbolic to human imagery in sacred art.
“That remains a million-dollar question. Scholars are still debating this,” admits Dr Jansari. “Unless more evidence comes through, we aren’t going to know. But the extraordinary flourishing of figurative art tells us that people really took to the idea of imagining the divine as human.”
The exhibit is designed as a multi-sensory journey, aiming to replicate the feel of an active temple or shrine. Visitors are greeted with draped fabrics, natural sounds, colorful visuals, and even scents—all intended to recreate the vibrant yet serene atmosphere of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain sacred spaces.
“There’s so much going on in these sacred spaces, and yet there’s an innate calm and serenity. I wanted to bring that out,” says Dr Jansari. Her work was in collaboration with artists, designers, and community representatives to ensure authenticity and resonance.
Adding another layer to the exhibition are video screens displaying short films of practicing devotees from each of the three religions currently living in the United Kingdom. These moving visuals reinforce the central theme of the exhibition—that the artistic and religious traditions on display are not just relics of the past but continue to thrive today.
The aim, clearly, is not just to celebrate historical craftsmanship but to show how these traditions have endured, adapted, and continued to be meaningful across generations and geographies. The presence of these films emphasizes that these spiritual practices and their visual expressions still hold deep relevance in contemporary lives, both in India and globally.
All of the artifacts on display have been drawn from the British Museum’s renowned South Asian collection. In addition, the exhibition includes 37 items on loan from private collectors as well as from museums and libraries across the UK, Europe, and India. These diverse sources help paint a more complete and nuanced picture of India’s sacred art traditions.
Ancient India: Living Traditions is not just an exhibition; it is an invitation to see the continuity of faith and expression, to recognize the deep cultural links that have persisted for thousands of years, and to appreciate the stunning craftsmanship that helped visualize the divine for generations.