© Manjari Sharma

Darshan is a Sanskrit word that means “sight”, “view” or ‘vision.”  With the help of a creative team, New York-based photographer Manjari Sharma is recreating the nine classical images of Gods and Goddesses pivotal to mythological stories in Hinduism. The making of the image above can be seen on a short three minute video here.

Sharma explains, “Historically considered a mechanical device to keep record, photography didn’t even start to find a place in galleries until the 20th century. It’s no surprise then that paintings and sculptures of Hindu deities were the dominant way to experience Indian mythology. Despite my extensive exposure to Hindu temples and artifacts my whole life, I have never seen a photograph of a deity created from scratch. Darshan is my attempt to show that photos too can evoke a strong spiritual response. At a larger level Darshan is a cultural calling for me to preserve my heritage by using the medium of photography.”