Frontispiece: Soapstone seal, Mohenjo-daro, 2300–1750 B.C.E. National Museum, New Delhi.
Departure of Zhang Yichao for war, fresco, detail, late Tang period, A.D. 848–906. Caves of Mogao, cave no. 156, Dunhuang.
Head of Śiva, 8th century A.D. Candi Singosari archaeological site, Java.
Deer, detail from The Penitence of Arjuna, granite bas relief, 7th century A.D. Mahabalipuram.
Bulākī, The Three Aspects of the Absolute, sheet 1 from the Nāth Carit, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 1823. Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur.
Master of Pahari painting at the court of Mankot (attr.), The Saptarṣis, miniature on paper, c. 1675–1700. Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh.
Jagadeva, The Goddess Sarasvatī, marble statue, 12th century A.D. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles.
Peacocks, sandstone bas relief, 1st century A.D. Stupa 1, Sanchi.
Young Girl Meditating with Lotus Flower in Her Palm, sculpture in black stone, 10th–11th century A.D. State Museum, Lucknow.
The Jambūdvīpa Continent, with Its Eight Mountain Ranges and Mount Meru at the Center, gouache on paper, Rajasthan, 17th century A.D. Ajit Mookerjee Collection, New Delhi.
Diagram for the propitiatory sacrifice to the nine celestial bodies (grahayajña), colors and ink on paper, Rajasthan, 18th century A.D.
Rukmiṇī, sandstone sculpture, Nokhas, c. 10th century A.D. Archaeological Survey of India.
Sacrificial Procession, wooden votive panels from Pitsa, 540 B.C.E. National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
Viṣṇu Sleeping on Śeṣa, Sanctuary of Budhanilkantha, 7th century A.D. Photograph by the author.
Master Durga (attr.), Ashram of the Sage Mārkaṇḍeya and the Ocean of Milk, sheet 5 from the Durgā Carit, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, detail, Jodhpur, c. 1780–1790. Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur.
Nārāyaṇa with Antelope Hide, wall panel in sandstone, detail, 5th century A.D. Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh.
Sacrificial Altar with Head of Nandin. Yogyakarta Museum, Prambanan.
Noah’s Ark, opaque watercolor and gold on paper from a copy of the Zübdetü’t-tevârih (The Essence of Stories), Istanbul, 1583. Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, manuscript T. 414, f. 61b.
Hei Tiki, jade and wax-lacquer pendant, c. 1750. Te Papa Tongarewa Museum, Wellington.
Sacrificial Sword Used in the Temples of Kali, steel, Bengal, 19th century A.D. Ajit Mookerjee Collection, New Delhi.
Śiva Pours Over His Head the Waters of the Ganges, Personified in the Goddess Gangā, gouache on paper, Himachal Pradesh, 18th century A.D. Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh.
Bulākī (attr.), Cosmic Oceans, sheet 45 from the Nāth Carit, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 1823. Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur.
Wooden panel with textile motif, ceiling of the Sumtsek (Triple-Storied Temple), c. A.D. 1200. Alchi.
Young Girl Meditating with Lotus Flower in Her Palm (rear view), sculpture in black stone, 10th–11th century A.D. State Museum, Lucknow.
Apsaras, mural painting, c. 5th century A.D. Cave 17, Ajanta.
Gaṇeśa, sculpture, detail. Java.