For the love of gods

A British Museum show full of deities, snakes and shrines places the three ancient faiths of India in dialogue with contemporary believers

- By David Shariatmadari

It's the eyes that stay with you - piercing black discs that seem to vibrate against the intense orange of a goddess's skin. The rest is a blur of silver, yellow and saffron as temple attendants encourage you to move, clockwise, around the murti, or sacred statue. For a moment it's as if this shrine is the one fixed point in the whole city.

The goddess in question is Mumba, the patron of Mumbai, her temple at the beating heart of one of the most densely populated areas on Earth. A few streets to the east is the green and white splendour of Minara mosque. To the north is the intricately carved Jain temple of Parshwanath.

All around is the noise and commerce of a place that Indians regard as their version of New York and LA combined - "the city of dreams". Yet, far from being a godless metropolis, this is a place where religion is very much a going concern.

As Sushma Jansari, curator of south Asia at the British Museum in London, explains, it's not surprising the eyes have it. Making direct eye contact, getting a glimpse (or darshan) of the divine, is the whole point. For devotees, staring down a god isn't sacrilegious, but a source of comfort and connection, and a way to ask for help.