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Dr Sujatha Meegama (The Courtauld) will speak on ‘Envisioning Kingship in Early Modern Sri Lanka’:

With the violent destruction of temples—both Buddhist and Hindu—during Sri Lanka’s first encounter with a European colonial power, little remains of monuments, sculptures, and paintings from sixteenth century Sri Lanka. To understand the visual culture from this tumultuous time, one must turn to the gifts produced for Portuguese patrons. These ivories provide rare glimpses into the courtly and religious traditions of Sri Lankan royalty—portrayed as bodhisattva-like kings seated at court, these rare depictions illustrate an aspect of sixteenth-century kingship that has not yet been examined at length before. This paper locates these ivory carvings within traditions of visualising the historical Buddha on a throne surrounded by a retinue of guardian figures, while placing poetic descriptions of kings in dialogue with ivory carvings to further understand how kingship was envisioned in sixteenth-century Sri Lanka. Such visual and textual comparisons suggest the significance of the divinity of kings, invoking both Buddhist and Hindu traditions.

Dr Ankur Barua (Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge) will speak on ‘The Lure of Love: Engendering Longing for Krishna’:

Central to many forms of Hindu devotional love (bhakti) is the paradox that God is the “intimate stranger”: God remains interwoven with the sinews of the human heart, but because we are estranged from God we are unable to discern God’s subtle presence. The (seeming) absence of God becomes a moment of unbearable anguish, yet this very absence can become a site of cultivating God-centredness. Over the last millennium, this leitmotif has been vividly expressed in numerous styles of literature, architecture, and the performative arts – and, occasionally, Bollywood film songs. I will explore it in the symbolic poetry of Śrīmanta Śaṅkardeva (Assamese: 1449–1568) and Rabindranath Tagore (Bengali: 1861–1941). By singing two of their songs, I will invite the audience to “savour” a distinctive style of Hindu theological inquiry that is articulated through the sentiments of despair, deference, and delight.

Following this pair of papers and discussion between the speakers, there will be an opportunity for audience members to ask questions and contribute to the discussion. Refreshments will be provided.

Organised by Dr Caroline Levitt (The Courtauld) and Professor Ben Quash (KCL), as part of the seminar on Sacred Traditions and the Arts, a joint venture between the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at King’s and The Courtauld. It seeks to place researchers in dialogue who are working on any aspect of the sacred and visual culture. It is open to all scholars and students who have an interest in exploring the intersections of religion and art regardless of period, geography or tradition.