Parvati, late 14th–early 15th century

Both Hinduism and Buddhism developed on the Indian subcontinent in the first millennium B.C. but while Hinduism remained a mostly local religion, Buddhism spread across Asia. Hinduism includes the worship of many deities and encompasses a diverse set of intellectual and philosophical traditions—some that originated with the earliest inhabitants of the subcontinent. Buddhism can be traced to the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, who lived in India during the fifth century b.c. He achieved enlightenment by identifying a path of moderation between the extremes of self-indulgence and asceticism.

The objects on display come from present-day India, Pakistan, Cambodia, and Thailand. Parvati (1) and Vamana (4) are Hindu deities, and the other statues are depictions of the Buddha or figures from the Buddhist pantheon. The small size of these statues attests to
the practice of private, individual worship found in both religions.