Mary Magdalene in India

Figure of Mary Magdalene, dated 17th-19th century from India (Goa)

A long time ago, a friend saw one of my paintings of Mary Magdalene and liked it because, she said, Mary Magdalene and Jesus had been in India.

Mary Magdalene in Meditation by Tanya Torres, Oil on canvas board, 2010.

Today’s drawing (below) reminded me a little bit of the Indian miniature aesthetic, and I thought I would look up if there is a story online about Mary Magdalene visiting India with Jesus. There are some mentions in the internet, but nothing that specifically tells about Mary Magdalene visiting India.

There are some stories about Jesus going to India after surviving the cruxifiction. This is usually rejected by scholars because there is no historical evidence.

What I did find were two images. One is a statue of Mary Magdalene from Goa, India. The Portuguese that colonized the area brought the Catholic faith. The image of Mary Magdalene shows Indian influence in her veil, which looks very ornamented and similar to an Indian fabric.

I also found a miniature that shows Mary Magdalene as the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her hair.

Mary Magdalene Presents Ointment to Jesus (folio 102 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome XavierM 1602–04, Mughal India, Allahabad, made for Prince Salim (1569–1627), Cleveland Museum of Art.

This artwork was left incomplete, but we can see the miniature style showing light skinned, European people surrounding Jesus. The painting belonged to an Indian family in Great Britain, whose grandfather brought the manuscript to England in the 1930s or 1940s.

Today’s drawing of Mary Magdalene

I couldn’t find a story of Mary Magdalene in India, but I discovered new art. And today’s drawing is definitely a painting in progress. I look forward to painting it!