The Prithu Mandapam Market is a destination souvenir shop for tourists in Madurai. Located across from the iconic Meenakshi Temple, the market is framed by massive stone columns and a smattering of vendors selling silver anklets, bracelets, and jasmine. The dark interior made cool by its smooth stones provides a stark contrast to the blazing heat just a few steps outside. Here, you can find rows of tiny bronze colored Ganesh statues, each one just as gleeful and impish as the next.
Other vendors boast yards of colorful fabric, many sporting elephants of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Tapestries with a reclining Vishnu flutter into the aisles, and the smell of burning incense for sale sets the tone for this fast paced (and overwhelming) buying experience. Each vendor’s booth is deceptively small, but is overflowing with trinkets enough to make tourists go weak in the knees.
Walking through the market, I am reminded of the Indian (and even more broadly Southeast Asian) icons that crop up in the most unlikely of places at home: Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Urban Outfitters. I have seen giant neon Ganeshes on Urban Outfitter tapestries, busts of Buddha in various pastels sold in the “home décor” section of TJ Maxx, and lotus flower votive candle holders in numerous styles and sizes. These items are mass produced and reasonably priced to satisfy the stylistic curiosities of Western consumers. Shoppers pass through the aisles everyday, often without context for what they are admiring or buying.
I have indulged in the tourist market. I have purchased the quintessential elephant pants; I have counted off the number of Ganesh statues I will buy for souvenirs; and I have been easily entranced by the bright colors and designs of the tapestries. Before coming to India, none of these symbols meant anything to me. They were decorations that I knew had some connection to a place that was not mine. I didn’t know that the lotus flower was a symbol of cosmic order, or that Ganesh was a universally beloved but ever mischievous god with a penchant for sweet cakes?
After learning about Indian myth, religion, and art from Dr. Venkatraman and talking to residents in Madurai, I am gaining new context, appreciation, and understanding for why these symbols matter. I learned that (per Dr. V’s instruction) Ganesh likes to be tickled on his belly, there are differences between the Mathura and Grandhara renderings of Buddha (a TJ Maxx Buddha bust is most likely in the Mathura style), elephants are a symbol of strength, stability, and water (water being very important in offerings to the gods at temples), and Vishnu’s avatar Krishna has a lot of girlfriends and may steal your butter.
I am by no means an expert on symbolism in the south Indian tradition after one class, and my newfound knowledge does not undo my instances of cultural appropriation before coming here. But I am learning about the rich and lengthy histories of the symbols, why they are important to people, and what about them is so appealing not only to India’s residents but to a larger body of followers. Each symbol comes with its own set of oral histories, numerous renderings, and tradition that makes looking at a depiction of someone like the Ganesh infinitely more enjoyable and more meaningful. I want friends and family to have souvenirs for more than the aesthetic; each icon has a story behind it that gives powerful insight into life in southern India.
Cultural appropriation isn’t new, but the pervasiveness of it was made clear to me in reflecting on these two very different spaces. I am still trying to reconcile my position as a tourist, student, and Westerner in the context of these experiences. I have been guilty of admiring those tapestries in the mall at home, noting how “cool” a miniature Buddha bust would look on a nightstand, or even remarking how “zen” a living room may be with the addition of several lotus flower candle holders.
Even without the intention of doing harm, I was contributing to cultural appropriation. Furthermore, cultural appropriation does not end with a few passing remarks or a tapestry; it’s continued occurrence creates spaces that degrade non-Western peoples by putting their histories, symbols, and cultural values up for sale.
However, what I’ve learned is that giving context and understanding the meaning behind a cultural icon is not always enough to remove the threat of cultural appropriation/commodification, but it is an important place to start when learning how to use your positionality (and your purchasing power) to push back against instances of cultural appropriation at home and abroad.