Darsan, Idols, and Portraits

Unlike Abrahamic religions, Hinduism does not view idol worship as a sin. In fact, idols are an important part of Hindu traditions. Many Hindus feel like their gods can see them through the idols and in turn while they look at the idols they are looking at the gods. The act of seeing a deity (through an idol) and being seen in return is called Darsan. Darsan promotes connection between people and the divine. This reminds me of the way looking at portraits or statues of people throughout history often feels, as it allows the person viewing the artwork to connect with a person that lived centuries ago.

I think a good example of this that I personally connect with are the Fayum mummy portraits. These portraits, painted on wood, adorn the tombs of upper class Romans in Egypt and depict the deceased person. These portraits likely date to the early 1st century AD, and are therefore the faces of people who lived two thousand years ago.

When I look at these portraits, knowing they depict a real person, I can’t help but wonder what their life was like. What was their name? What were their hobbies? What was their favorite food? What impact did they have on the people around them? Who commissioned their portrait when they died, and was the painter accurate? I can look into the eyes of someone who probably never even imagined that someone two thousand years later would know what they looked like. To me, this is similar to looking at an idol, because while I do not worship these people or see them as divine, by looking at the image that represents them I can feel connected to them. And in turn, because I am looking this person in the eyes and wondering about their life, I feel as if they are looking back, happy to be remembered.