Michelle Obama buys Ganesh & Hanuman icons in India

US First Lady Michelle Obama purchased wooden Lord Ganesh, a Hanuman, and Patachitra and Madhubani paintings (which usually depict Hindu religious themes), etc., during her visit to New Delhi’s Crafts Museum on November eight, according to reports.

Eminent Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commended Michelle Obama’s, 46, reported interest in Hindu artifacts and added that if she wanted to explore Hinduism further, he or other Hindu scholars would be glad to assist.

Art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth, Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.

Lord Ganesh is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. Lord Hanuman is known for his incredible strength. Both Ganesh and Hanuman are highly revered in Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents, whose ultimate goal is moksh (liberation).

Also known as National Handicrafts & Handlooms Museum, Crafts Museum is run by Government of India’s Ministry of Textiles and has a collection of about 22, 000 objects. Dr. Ruchira Ghosh is the head.