The Altar of Time: A History of India's Christian Art podcast artwork
History

The Altar of Time: A History of India's Christian Art

by Anirudh Kanisetti

Where it charts

Today’s combined position on our country charts.

Ranking history

History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the History chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.

About the show

India's Christian art is vast, varied—and almost completely unknown. Anirudh Kanisetti (historian, author, and host of Echoes of India: A History Podcast) and Professor Kevin Fernandes take you through its wonders. Join us as we explore Indian Christian myth, ritual, craft and lives through the collection of the Museum of Christian Art in the Convent of Santa Monica in Old Goa. This podcast is implemented by the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) under the Archive and Museums program, made possible with support from the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and the Parijat Foundation.

Latest episodes

  • How Roman Catholic Saints Became Goan

    June 24, 2023 · 14 min

    Whether we’re talking about bodhisattvas in Buddhism, Alvars in Vaishnavism, Nayanars in Shaivism, or pirs in Islam, all South Asian religions have their own version of the ideal devotee, worshipped as saints. In densely Catholic places…

  • Nirmala Matha, in Konkani

    April 29, 2023 · 15 min

    The year is 1973, and a young first-year theology student from Goa is assigned room number 65 at the Papal Seminary in Pune. There he sees a mysterious object: a pearl-white statuette of an elegant lady, wearing an Indian crown, standing…

  • Nirmala Mata: Indian Nationalism and an Ivory of the Virgin Mary

    April 23, 2023 · 13 min

    The year is 1973, and a young first-year theology student from Goa is assigned room number 65 at the Papal Seminary in Pune. There he sees a mysterious object: a pearl-white statuette of an elegant lady, wearing an Indian crown, standing…

  • Lisbon to Lanka: The Incredible World of Indo-Portuguese Ivories

    April 15, 2023 · 13 min

    From Europe to Africa to Sri Lanka, Goan ivories are among the most cosmopolitan art objects of this most cosmopolitan region. They also show us, beyond the often-touching stories and devotions that they inspired in their owners, that art…

  • Easter and the Paschal Candlestand

    April 8, 2023 · 17 min

    Elaborately carved in wood, enthroning a great candle, the Paschal candlestand is one of the most important objects in the celebration of Easter. From Italy to India and beyond, we trace out its history and intertwining with the…

  • The Sorrowful Virgin in Global (and Goan) Catholic Art

    April 2, 2023 · 13 min

    Over the centuries, a large body of music, art and sculpture has explored the sorrow and pain borne by the Virgin Mary, whose son, Jesus Christ, was crucified in front of her eyes. From Flanders to Goa, we trace out the history of…

  • Malabar Ivories and Calvary Images

    March 25, 2023 · 11 min

    Delicate ivory figurines of Jesus, carved on the Malabar Coast using materials from Africa, tell a story of globalisation and the Passion of Christ. Join us as we explore Catholic belief and Portuguese trade using the Museum of Christian…

  • A Painted Monstrance, A Painted World

    March 11, 2023 · 10 min

    Over the last few episodes of The Altar of Time, we’ve seen richly made textiles, incense boats, and holy water containers, among many other objects. Now we move to perhaps the most recognisable of Catholic art objects: paintings, using a…