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The art of India has always been a part of the settlement and development of the area. Some images from the Harappan period (around 2500 BC) may have been incorporated into later images of Vishnu and Shiva. A thousand years later the influx of Indo-Europeans and then the arrival of Buddhism five hundred years after that have each left their mark in the culture. Alexander the Great was responsible for importing Greek-style carvings around the year 320 BC, and the spread of Islam created interest in patterns following the models from Arabic and Persian society.
In the modern West, Indian art is seen as the epitome of 'exotic'. As interest in yoga and meditation has spread, so too has imagry that depicts the quiet solitude of contemplation, oneness with nature, or spiritual themes. In the closing years of the twentieth century, the 'New Age' movement has amplified this interest to the point where expressions of these ideas are commonly found in many homes.
