Asian Civilisations Museum

The Chinese Zodiac calendar features a sequence of 12 different animals. Find out how this came to be, and explore this popular Asian story through the lens of science, art, and creative play.

Check out the schedule above for the range of special activities available on this opening weekend festival! Free for all, activities start from 1pm at the Asian Civilisations Museum.

Birthmarks face is a common sight on Hindu temples, and worshipers pay respects to the demon before they enter. The story of Kirtimukha comes from a legend that has been told for centuries.

One day, Shiva was visited by the demon Rahu, who brought a message from King Jalandara. The king wanted to take away Parvati, Shiva’s wife, as he believed that he deserved the most beautiful goddess because he had attained so much wealth and power. Enraged, a thunderbolt shot out from between Shiva’s brows, and out came a lion-like creature with flaming, bulging eyes. The creature was very hungry – a living manifestation of the insatiable desires of King Jalandara.  

The creature’s nature was only to eat, and Shiva ordered him to eat the demon Rahu. However, Rahu cleverly begged for Shiva’s mercy. Shiva could not refuse, and spared him from the creature.

“Then what can I eat? I’m very hungry,” cried the creature.

“Eat your own flesh then,” replied Shiva.

Beginning from its tail, the creature mindlessly ate away, as ordered, until all that was left was his face, which he could not chew. Enchanted by this sight, Shiva called him “Kirtimukha” – ‘face of glory’.

Hanuman is a highly powerful, erudite, and philosophical ape god, as well as a devotee of Rama. Born to Anjana, a she-monkey, and the Hindu god Vishnu, he has a head of a monkey and a body of a man. His name means “one who has a scar on his jaw”, which was derived from an epic story!

It is said that Lord Shiva used to travel out on his own often, and for long periods of time. During one of these travels, his wife, Parvati, was feeling lonely and disturbed that there was no one guarding the house. So, she decided to create a son.  

She used the dust on her body to mould the shape of a young boy, as glorious as daylight. Then she gave him life and named him Ganesha. He became protector of the house.

When Shiva came back, Ganesha didn’t recognise him and wouldn’t let him into the house. Enraged, Shiva chopped off Ganesha’s head.

This sculpture of Quam Am with 24 arms shows her power to help all sentient beings. She has two arms at the front in the prayer gesture, two on her lap in the meditation gesture, and five detachable pairs at each shoulder holding many different attributes. Some include a lotus, the chakra (discus), conch shell, vajra (thunderbolt), vase, bell, prayer beads and so on. These are believed to help her alleviate the sufferings of people! The statue of Quan Am is depicted in different ways in Vietnam itself and even in China, Thailand, Japan and Korea where sometimes she’s seen with thousands of arms and eyes.

This robe from the Qing dynasty is made of silk, adorned with many mythical creatures and symbols, including dragons! Can you guess how many dragons are on the robe?

The Minangkabau people are known for their distinctive houses, and for the headdresses that resemble buffalo horns that some women wear. The word “minangkabau” translates to “victorious buffalo”. Want to know why?

Once there was a prosperous kingdom in West Sumatra, where people farmed and lived peacefully on their fertile land. A wise and just king protected them. 

But one day, they were attacked by a huge army from the Majapahit kingdom of Java. The Minangkabau king cleverly plotted to win the war. He proposed, “Let’s replace this battle with a buffalo fight. If your buffalo dies, we win. But if our buffalo dies, you win.” This would avoid bloodshed, and so the Majapahit king agreed.

The Majapahit buffalo was big and fat, whereas the Minangkabau one was just a small baby buffalo. ‘Ha ha ha! It’s so small. How can you win?”, laughed the king of Majapahit. 

Little did they know that the baby buffalo had two sharp knives tied to its horns! And it was very hungry because it had been away from its mother for days and so had nothing to eat. When it saw the big buffalo, the baby ran underneath to try to suck some milk. As he went under the big buffalo, the knives pierced through the stomach and the big buffalo bled to death. 

Nandi is the white bull that Shiva rides. Before becoming Shiva’s vehicle, Nandi was a deity, and in ancient times, the Lord of Joy. The name Nandi means “he who grants joy”.

He represents inner strength, which can be acquired through control of physical strength. Only those who have attained this – like Shiva himself – can ride the white bull.

The lion is the vehicle of Durga, who is considered the most powerful warrior goddess in Hinduism. Story goes that she was created by many male gods, and each gave her his most distinctive power. Therefore, Durga is invincible in battle.

So, what was your guess?

Well, the peacock represents immortality, and it is the vehicle for Murugan, also known as Skanda.

In Hinduism, Garuda is the half-man, half-eagle vehicle (also sometimes called “mount” or “vahana”) of Vishnu. He helps out Vishnu, and is known as king of the birds. He also appears in Buddhism. Usually depicted as a beak-nosed man with wings and talons, Garuda is a symbol of the wind and the sun, and he moves with equal speed!

His story goes: Two sisters, Kadru and Vinata, were married to the sage Kashyapa, and both were promised children. Kadru gave birth to 1000 powerful snakes as her sons, while Vinata had only Garuda.

One day, the sisters made a bet. The loser would become the slave of the winner. Kadru and her snake sons cheated to win the bet, and Vinata became their slave. Garuda vowed to free his mother.

The snakes told Garuda to bring them the nectar of immortality and his mother would be freed. The nectar was guarded by many gods in heaven. But Garuda fought them all and managed to get the nectar. Resisting the urge for immortality, Garuda never drank it himself. Seeing his self-denial, Vishnu granted Garuda immortality and freedom from disease. In return, Garuda became the vehicle of Vishnu.

This wooden sculpture of Vishnu and Garuda is from East Java, and the almost playful style of the carving is characteristic of that region. Garuda is now worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia and the Himalayas. 

Have you looked deep into the eyes of the Buddha? If you do, you’d see that this one’s eyes are blue! Check it out for yourself when visiting the Southeast Asia gallery.

This small, wrapped ceramic vessel was used by a Bataktribe on Sumatra to store protective medicine to ward off evil spirits.

The ingredients in the medicine were quite specific and strange, some of which included rotten leaves, uncooked rice from a blind, mute, or deaf person or a widow who had lost her husband, soil from an area where animals had been fighting, and lastly, a body part from a person who was a slave at that time. 

What makes these containers intriguing is their intricately carved tops. A figure riding a lion-like creature is a common motif. Here’s an example of such a guri-guri, made in the 19th century: an old porcelain jar is wrapped with rattan and palm fibres, and the top figure is carved from wood. 

Could you call this an early form of multimedia art?

Have a look at these interesting figures at our special exhibition, Beginning of the Becoming: Batak Sculpture From Northern Sumatra. Exhibition closes on 29 March.

Admission is free.

Notice the long arms on this sculpture of the Buddha? Stand straight and hang your arm downward. It doesn’t go past your knees, does it?

See this bronze figure in our Southeast Asia Gallery!