Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization

A classic introduction to Indian art by acclaimed scholar Heinrich Zimmer

In this landmark study of Indian art and religion, Heinrich Zimmer offers a compelling introduction to the visual language of India’s sacred traditions. Featuring seventy illustrations and drawing directly from Sanskrit sources, Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization explores the meanings of key motifs in myth, legend, and folklore. With clarity and insight, the book reveals how Hindu and Buddhist symbols express timeless human concerns in ways that resonate across cultures and eras.

About the author

Heinrich Zimmer Edited by Joseph Campbell

Product details

• Authors: Heinrich Zimmer
• Assisted by: Joseph Campbell (Editor)
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Content: Book
• Product form: Paperback / Softback
• Publication date: 20.01.2026
• Subject: Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Society; Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Other religions; Guides > Spirituality > Ancient knowledge, ancient cultures
• EAN: 9780691279428
• ISBN: 978-0-691-27942-8
• Pages: 296
• Series: Bollingen Series; Bollingen Recollections
• Subjects: Religion, Emblem, Bhakti, Sanskrit, Bodhisattva, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology, Philosophy, Buddhism, India, firmament, Christianity, God, Arjuna, Garuda, Maitreya, Rigveda, Bhagavad Gita, Brahman, Immortality, Folklore, myths & legends, Brahma, Hinduism, Appellation, Lecture, Lingam, Anthropomorphism, Incarnation, Folklore studies / Study of myth (mythology), Gautama Buddha, omnipotence, Greek mythology, Asceticism, iconography, Religious art, mansion, Image of God, Good and evil, Procession, Hindu Philosophy, Philosopher, Indian philosophy, Renunciation, divinity, Buddhist art, Hindu mythology, deity, infatuation, Adoration, aryan, Demiurge, Daksha, Chakravartin, Kamsa, Kashyapa, Kinnara, Kubera, Brahmin, Mendicant, Bow and arrow, Jalandhara, Buddhism and Hinduism, Mount Meru (Buddhism), Mohenjo-daro, Hindu deities, Dynamism (metaphysics), Eternal life (Christianity), Kali Yuga, Satya Yuga, perennial philosophy, Manvantara, Agastya, King of the Gods, Gudea, Kalpa (aeon)