NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 13, 2019 (Asian Age): It may surprise many Indians but scores of Hindu Deities, including Saraswati, Lakshmi, Brahma, Ganesha, and Garuda, are actively worshiped in their temples by the Japanese, preserving Indian traditions that have practically been forgotten in India, shows a film screened in Delhi on Sunday. It revealed that there are hundreds of shrines of Saraswati in the land of rising sun. The well-researched 30-minute documentary, “Indian Deities Worshipped in Japan”, (https://youtu.be/8WaenzbSJwk) funded by the ministry of external affairs, is directed by global fame photographer and art historian Benoy K. Behl (62), who specialises in the study of ancient cultures and historical monuments across the world. He has been engaged in research on Hindu Deities in Japan since 1994.
“Unlike most cultures that spread with the force of sword, Indian philosophy of ethical living travelled to every corner of Asia through our traders who showcased the link between ethics and commercial success,” Mr. Behl told this newspaper, quoting a former Japanese ambassador who said that the “Japanese culture is founded on the Indian culture”. “The film depicts the science of living and Indian philosophy of ethical living as most Hindu Gods are the personification of the fine qualities inside you,” said Mr. Behl, who holds the Limca Book Record for being the most travelled photographer.