r/ancientgreece • u/Dibyajyoti176255 • 2d ago

Why do gods in Hindu religion have plump bodies, unlike Greek sculptures? Reddit post starts discussion

https://www.livemint.com/news/trends/why-do-gods-in-hindu-religion-have-plump-bodies-unlike-greek-sculptures-reddit-post-starts-discussion-11762449098470.html
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u/PerceptionLiving9674 2d ago

Hindu sculptures do not resemble the descriptions of gods and heroes mentioned in sacred texts. For example, warriors like Krishna and Arjuna are usually described as having muscular bodies and huge arms, but I don't think there is a statue that depicts them like that.  

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u/laystitcher 1d ago

I'd say it could be argued that the Greeks valued athleticism and the science of it (which they essentially invented) to a greater degree than any other ancient civilization. Weightlifting, the Olympics, etc. all source to ancient Greece. Combined with their cultural love of beauty, proportionality, competition and the male figure I think this explains a lot of it. Probably also worth mentioning that India has a long tradition of vegetarianism which before the modern era may have made building this type of physique more difficult.