I was inspired to paint this by Paul Stanner of 'Stannerisms' who wanted to know how a Hindu would conceptualize a Christian God. As soon as I read his comments on one of my abstracts, something hit my imagination and I immediately got down to work and came up with my idea of depicting Stigmata. We Hindus revere Jesus Christ as a symbol of Love and Sacrifice. Of Life, Hope and Truth. Christianity is the third largest religion in India with over 29 million followers. There is a general scholarly consensus that Christian communities were firmly established in India by the 6th century AD.
I learnt that the term Stigmata is used Christian mysticism to describe the manifestations of bodily wounds, scars and pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ.I have borrowed the idea of The Hands with stigmata as depicted on a Franciscan church in Lienz, Austria. I thought it symbolized the Stigmata in a very touching humble way. I converted the wooden carving into a heart shaped artwork and added the blood drops and blood stains.
Hope you will like this.