Śiva's multiplicity of presence in aniconic and iconic form

Bibliographic Data

ID4373250
AuthorsRichard H Davis (Bard College, Hamden, CT, USA, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume47
Issue3
Pages459-482
Publication date2017-07-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0048-721X • E-ISSN: 1096-1151
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0048721x.2017.1329188
OpenAlexW2618327977
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited9

The early medieval Śaiva Siddhānta school, a theistic school of Hinduism, positively embraced material forms as means for worshipers to approach the god Śiva. Theistic schools of thought like the Śaiva Siddhānta and their iconophilic ritual practices are responsible for the profusion of religious images we see in Hinduism. This essay examines how priests and worshipers addressed these issues in early medieval South India. There are two primary themes. One is Śiva’s material polymorphism. According to the Śaivas, Śiva intervenes pervasively throughout the cosmos. Therefore, the material forms that he may inhabit are also many and diverse. The annual temple festival provides a rich illustration of Śiva’s multiple forms. The second theme is the translucency of the material object of worship. Since a consecrated icon is considered replete with Śiva’s presence, a viewer can learn to see with a devotional eye through the materiality of the object to other dimensions of Śiva’s being. The songs of the Tamil poet-saints provide a program for this devotional gaze into the divine fullness contained in a material form

Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Hinduism · Linguistics · Literature · Materiality (auditing) · Object (grammar) · Spiritualism · Statue · Tamil · Theism · Theology · Worship · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Philosophy · Religious studies · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices

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