Early 1900's Burma Postcards (Unused)- Snake Charmers et.al. in Decatur, Illinois For Sale

Three unused postcards from Rangoon (former capital of Burma-Myanmar) featuring snake charmers, a live outdoor puppet show, and avatars making a Holy offering at a sacred temple. The postcard images are part of a series (#35, #45 and #42 respectively) from D. A. Ahuja, a Punjabi-run studio that became the leading postcard publisher in Burma just after xxxx.
Snake charming probably originated in India stemming from a long-held Hindu belief that serpents are sacred and relate to the Nagas. In Hindu mythology, Nagas are snake-shaped beings who live in the underworlds and are possessors of mighty powers of consciousness. In ancient pictures, the cobra protects many gods, and Indians considered snake charmers to be holy men acting as agents of gods.
Puppetry, as both a challenge to the imagination and the creative ability of the individual, is one of the most ancient forms of entertainment and the least expensive of all animated visual art forms, favoring itself to poorer regions. Besides entertainment, puppetry serves as a least-restrictive form of applied art capable of conveying meaningful messages in design, color and movement besides the spoken word.
Avatars refer to the concept of a deliberate descent to earth by holy deities making either an appearance or a manifestation. In the Burma-Myanmar region, the most notable building is the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, a great cone-shaped Buddhist holy shrine that is completely capped with gold. It rises 326 feet on a hill 168 feet tall above its city. The outside base of the Pagoda contains 72 exterior shrines circling the building and depicting images of lions, serpents, ogres, yogis, avatars, etc. This postcard depicts a sculptured scene outside the Pagoda of avatars sitting cross-legged on the ground and making offerings to the spirits.
Postcards are in Excellent unused condition; each measures 3 7/16 X 5 3/8 inches. Sold as set of all three for $24.