I absolutely love the Met! Even though I really wanted to go to the Whitney Museum, I was still excited about our spontaneous trip to the Met. My favorite part of the Met would have to be the Asian Art section. The Asian Art section houses art from many parts of Asia, ranging from Eastern Asia (China, Korea, Japan, etc.), to Southern Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.) I love visiting the South Asian part because that is where all of the Hindu art are! I am Hindu and I love learning about my religion. Hinduism is polytheistic religion, meaning that there are many gods. However, my family practices Hinduism by choosing one of the gods as our main “god.” Our god is Vishnu, and ever since I was a little girl, I always had an interest in reading and learning about Vishnu. One of the sculptures I stumbled upon was Standing Vishnu.

Vishnu is one of the major gods in Hinduism. He is often referred to as the “preserver,” since he is known as the one who protects the universe. Vishnu’s depiction in this specific sculpture shows his protective role. For example, one of his arms has the mudra symbol, which is a symbol of protection. By making this gesture with his hand, Vishnu is protecting Hindus from whatever possible evil might threaten them. Also, in his upper hands, Vishnu holds a battle trumpet and a war discus. This implies that Vishnu is part of the military, which further puts emphasis on this notion that Vishnu is the preserver. Vishnu’s expression is one of calmness, which again alludes to his protective nature.

When I go back to the Met, I will try to visit another gallery (probably the Egyptian Art). But I will definitely set aside an entire day when I go back. It is really hard to explore the entire museum in only three hours.