India Habitat Centre To Screen Movie, ‘Indian Deities Worshiped In Japan’

India Habitat Centre is going to screen the movie ‘Indian Deities Worshiped In Japan’ by Art Historian, Film-maker and Photographer Benoy K Behl on Saturday 7th of January 2022. The movie is produced for XPD Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India.

Film director Benoy K Behl said, “Most people are not aware that at least a score of Hindu deities is very actively worshipped in Japan. In fact, there are hundreds of shrines to Saraswati alone. There are innumerable representations of Lakshmi, Indra, Brahma, Ganesha, Garuda and other deities. In fact, deities we have practically forgotten in India, such as Vayu and Varuna are still worshipped in Japan.” 

In many ways, I find that Japan has preserved ancient Indian traditions, n when they may have changed here in India. As an instance, in Japan, Saraswati is depicted and venerated not only with the Veena, but also remembered for her association with water. (One may recall that Saraswati is originally the personification of the river by that name.) Therefore, she is also worshipped in pools of water in Japan, he added. 

Many words in the Japanese language are from Sanskrit. Sanskrit was also the basis for the formation of the Japanese alphabet ‘Kana’. 

In the supermarkets, a major brand of milk products is called ‘Sujata’. The company personnel are taught the story of Sujata who gave sweet rice milk to the Buddha, with which he broke his period of austerity before he gained Enlightenment.