Smithsonian Institution
Freer | Sackler Galleries
Explore the Freer and Sackler Galleries by topics including but not limited to Arts of the Islamic Worlds, Chinese Art, and Contemporary Art. An overview of the collection, online exhibit features, and teacher resources are available.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Main Branches of Buddhism
Over the centuries, two main branches of Buddhism emerged: a transmission that traveled to Southeast Asia, and a transmission that evolved in East Asia. A further offshoot of the northern transmission also developed. All three branches:...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Introduction to Buddhism
Buddhism is one of the world's great religions, and has deeply influenced the character and evolution of Asian civilization over the past 2,500 years. It is based on the teachings of a historical figure, Siddhartha Gautama, who lived...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Conception of the Buddha to Be in Queen Maya's Dream
This relief scene from around 100 to 300 depicts the dream of Maya, the mother of the historical Buddha. Queen Maya is asleep in her palace under a full moon. An attendant stands guard outside. In her dream, a white elephant enters her...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Railing Pillar With Female Figure Beneath a Tree
This stone sculpture depicts a female figure holding on to the branches of a tree. She stands in what is known as a triple bend position. Part of her arms and one leg have broken off. She has a pleasant expression on her face. She wears...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Introduction to the Himalayas
The Himalayas are the highest mountain ranges in the world, and from them flow the major rivers of Asia. The kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan are located along the Himalayan ranges, and the Tibetan plateau lies to their north. Although the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Hindu Deity Vishnu
This stone stele depicts the Hindu god Vishnu, attended by two consorts, Lakshmi (lower left) and Sarasvati (lower right ). Vishnu is the god of Preservation, the great maintainer who often appears in various incarnations (avatara) to...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Hindu Deity Vishnu in the Form of the Man Lion Narasimha
A certain evil demon could not be killed by man or beast, indoors or out, during the day or night. To defeat the demon, Vishnu took the form of a half man-half lion, hid in the pillar of a doorway, and attacked at dusk. Vishnu was...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Principal Deities of Hinduism
There are many Hindu deities, some with great and others with limited powers. Most Hindus focus their devotion primarily on one of these, whom they regard as supreme. The greatest deities have complex natures and are shown in art in a...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Beliefs of Hinduism
Common to virtually all Hindus are certain beliefs, including, but not limited to, the following: 1. a belief in many gods, which are seen as manifestations of a single unity. These deities are linked to universal and natural processes....
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Roots of Hinduism
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religions. It has complex roots, and involves a vast array of practices and a host of deities. Its plethora of forms and beliefs reflects the tremendous diversity of India, where most of its one...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Hindu Deity Shiva in the Fierce Form of Bhairava
Individual Hindu gods manifest themselves in many forms, in some cases including the ferocious and terrifying. Among his many guises, Shiva is an ascetic and mendicant who renounces conventional earthly existence to pursue extreme...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Hindu Deity Shiva as Destroyer of the Three Cities of the Demons
This is an image of the Hindu god Shiva. The image appears in a complex narrative scene. Shiva is standing in the pose of an archer, having just released a single arrow that is destroying three cities occupied by demons. He is surrounded...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Buddhist Text About the Bodhisattva Manjushri
This Tibetan manuscript is one of the oldest objects in the museum's Tibetan collection. It consists of twenty-two loose pages. The text is written in U-chen script, in pure gold ink, which has been applied on a ground of lapiz lazuli...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Goddess of White Umbrella: Buddhist Deity Ushnisha Sitatapatra
The Goddess of the White Umbrella (the Buddhist deity Ushnisha-sitatapatra) is one of many powerful female deities. She manifests her power with her thousand heads, arms, and legs. She has eyes on the palms of each of her hands and soles...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
The main image in this painting is Avalokiteshvara (1), the Bodhisattva of Compassion. He is the principle patron deity of Tibet. He sits on a lotus throne upon a lunar disc. This god takes many forms, such as the Dalai Lamas of Tibet,...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Buddhist Deity Mahakala as a Brahman
Mahakala Bramanarupa is one of over 70 different deities of the Mahakala type. These are wrathful deities particularly adept at quelling monsters and overcoming demons, whether they be outer, inner or secret. Some deities, such as...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Cabinet for Storing Offerings
This black cabinet was once stored in the gongkhang of an unknown temple in Tibet. Forbidden to the uninitiated, the gongkhang is a special room set aside for the worship of wrathful deities, where only the initiated monks of the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Prayer Wheel
Prayer wheels are an example of Buddhist technology. This technology allowed the faithful to multiply the number of prayers they expressed by millions. This is because prayer wheels are filled with copies of mantras (sacred spells...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Thunderbolt and Bell
The vajra (Tibetan: Dorjie) and bell (Sanskrit: ghanta; Tibetan: drilbu) are the most important ritual objects of Tibetan Buddhism. Most every lama has a pair and knows how to use them. They represent "method" (vajra) and "wisdom"...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Hindu Deity Durga Victorious Over the Buffalo Demon
This is an image of the goddess Durga. She is shown in a triumphant pose as the slayer of the buffalo demon, Mahisha. Durga is a manifestation of the Goddess, who can also appear as the consort Parvati or as a destructive figure Kali....
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Brahmani
Yogini temples typically included sculptures of seven female goddesses known as matrikas ("mother-goddesses"). These feminized versions of Hindu gods are identifiable by the most common attributes of their male forms. The goddess here is...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Fresh Water Jar
This is a container to hold cold, fresh water made especially for use in the Japanese tea gathering. Its shape reminds us of a wooden bucket used to carry water from a well, but it is made out of porcelain, a glazed ceramic fired at a...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Military Camp Jacket
How was this jacket used? The military camp jacket (jinbaori) was worn over a suit of "modern equipment" or tosei gusoku armor. Though some jackets had sleeves, many were sleeveless vests like this one. The camp jacket offered protection...