Saturday, 22. April 2006
The Role of the Devotional Image in Hinduism
Hindu religious images or icons (murti) are found in a variety of settings: indoors, in a temple or in a personal or family shrine; or outdoors, in a road or riverside shrine.

Images may portray one of the great Gods of Hinduism -- the most popular are Shiva, Vishnu, and the Goddess -- or one of the many local and regional deities that comprise the Hindu pantheon. Such images allow devotees direct access to God, who is thought to be fully present in the icon. Visual exchange with the sacred image (darshan) is a primary mode of religious practice for many Hindus: devotees both see the image and are seen by it.

Visual representations of God are important to many but not all forms of Hindu religious practice. Two general modes of understanding divinity can be distinguished in Hindu thought: a divinity could be "without qualities" (nirguna) or "with qualities" (saguna).

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The images in this resource represent the saguna or "with qualities" understanding of God. Most of the images are human-made, but stones, fossils, trees, and other naturally occurring substances are also forms of icons, as representations or embodiments of God. Natural features of the environment, such as rivers, may also be seen as images or embodiments of divinity. The Ganga (known outside India as the Ganges) is both a physical river and a Goddess, commonly portrayed as a beautiful woman.

Unlike naturally occurring images, human-made images are usually anthropomorphic. An important exception is the shiva linga, the non-anthropomorphic (aniconic) form of the great God Shiva that usually occupies the central place in temples dedicated to that God (Figure 3). The shiva linga is considered more important than images of the God in human form, and can be human-made or naturally occurring.


The Role of the Devotional Image in Hinduism (English)
This in-depth article by Anne Murphy decodes the complexities of Hindu iconography, explains the structure of a Hindu temple, and details the creation and consecration of sacred images. This essay is a must-read for fans of Indian art.
Category: Religion & Early Cultures




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