Cory Drexel
IND 334 Non Western Art
B. Hammer
Final Research Paper
5-13-11
Followers of Hinduism believe in many Gods, all of which have many different forms.
The three main gods that all Hindus believe in are those which have to do with the creation,
preservation and destruction of all things. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver and
Shiva is the destroyer. Each of these gods are held at the center of separate sections of Hinduism
as the supreme God. Shiva, the god of destruction, is the focus of the Shaivism branch of
Hinduism. The oldest of the four sects of Hinduism, followers of Shaivism revere Shiva as the
creator, preserver and the destroyer; the revealer and concealer of all that is. Hindu art such as a
sculpture depicting a god is not meant to simply be in honor of that deity, but to embody the
deity itself. For this reason Hindu art depicting Gods and Goddesses are especially of
importance to the faith, worship practices and its followers. Like other Hindu gods Shiva plays a
key role within the beliefs and virtues of the Hindu religion and is vividly depicted in many art
forms as an almighty god, graceful dancer and a powerful representation of the importance of
non-duality, creation and destruction to the faith as a whole.
In ancient India there existed a culture known as the Harappan who were centered in
Mohenjo-Daro, an archeological site in Pakistan near the Indus River. These people would carve
pictures into stone slabs to create what is known as a seal. One seal in particular is of great
importance as it bears the first known anthropomorphic representation of a deity in India and on
top of that the deity depicted is thought to be a prototype of Shiva (Craven p.16). The seal
depicts a horned deity sitting in a cross legged position, giving evidence of yogic practices in
ancient Indian civilization. The figure depicted is distinguished as having a multiple visage
interpreted as three faces or a mask crowned by a horned head-dress suggesting Shiva’s trident
symbol (Craven p.16). In addition to this seal great numbers of stone phalli or lingams, another
symbol of Shiva representing his coitus with Shakti, have also been discovered among Indus
Valley ruins (Craven p.16). Although he may not have been referred to as Shiva in the ancient
civilization of the Harappan, the seals and lingams give clear evidence that he was a dominant
presence there (Craven p.16). As time passed Shiva would eventually gain the namesake he
bears today and was integrated into the Hindu religion as the God of Destruction.
Followers of Hindu of both Northern and Southern India have constructed many
monumental temples through the ages, all with intricate and stunningly elaborate decoration.
Although Hindus perform much of their worship in the home, temples serve a vastly important
part of the religion. Temples are seen as the actual dwelling place of a deity and are often
constructed near a source of water. Whether in the home or in a temple Hindus create idols,
statuettes and altars representative of a specific God for purpose of worship. The bronze
Statuette of Shiva located in the Ishvaram Temple in Punjai is a prime example of objects created
to idolize the God Shiva for purpose of worship (Kleiner p.25). Statues and statuettes such as
these are created through the lost wax technique. Once the bronze solidifies the fireproof cast is
chipped and peeled away, revealing a beautiful sculpture that will last for centuries on end. The
Bronze statuette of Shiva as the Nataraja, or Lord of the Dance, was commissioned by the Chola
Kings and is currently located in the Ishvaram Temple (Kleiner p.25). Shiva is portrayed as the
Lord of Dance as his elegant movements stomp out ignorance, represented by a dwarf, beneath
his feet. This striking aesthetic vision of the divine as Shiva is represented as the first dancer
whose dance sets in motion the universe (Mitter p.33). Classical dance is an Indian form of
offering to the Gods; the key treatise on drama, music and dance is closely interrelated to Shiva’s
iconography, from the ecstatic catura to the lalita dance and ultimately the tandava or Shiva’s
dance of death (Mitter p.33). The statue has four arms, two of which are extended to touch the
Flaming Nimbus which encircles him (Kleiner p.25). Shiva has two arms raised into the air; in
the right Shiva holds a drum, in the left a divine flame. The Hindu belief holds that the drum’s
beating brings about creation and the flame is able to cause great and utter destruction. Shivas
lower left arm points to his raised left foot, indicating that as a place of refuge for devotees who
seek enlightenment (Kleiner pg.25). The lower right arm of Shiva is raised in a position called
the Abhaya Mudra, or in Sanskrit a gesture of fearlessness, signaling worshippers to come
forward without fear (Kleiner p.25). In times of worship the statue will be adorned with jewelry
and garlands of flowers, leaving only the bronze face of Shiva visible (Kleiner p.25). Hindus
believe that statues such as these are the actual embodiment of the deity being worshipped; in
that the statue is not an image of Shiva but Shiva himself (Kleiner p.25). In times of worship the
Statue of Shiva is treated as an honored person; Shiva is bathed, given foods to eat, melodic
songs are played in his honor, he is taken for outings, incense is burnt and bright oil lamps are lit
(Kleiner p.25-26). Such things are done in the worship of Shiva’s statue to please the senses of
the deity. The food presented to the Shiva statue is particularly important as he only consumes
the meals “essence”, leaving behind the remainder for the worshipper (Kleiner p.26). Food used
in rituals such as these becomes what the Hindus call prasada, or grace because it came into
contact with the divine (Kleiner p.26). In the Ishvaram Temple, for instance, it becomes the
priests duty to feed, clothe and take care of the Shiva statue (Kleiner p.26). Hindus perform a lot
of in home worship and some households may be fortunate enough to have their own statue of
Shiva or another deity. In households of worship, the family will present the statue with food
before each and every meal (Kleiner p.26). To Hindus the Gods are of a higher origin and must
therefore be treated in the best ways as earthly possible.
Bronze statues such as that of Shiva as the Nataraja are examples of a Hindu deity in a
manifest form; that is he is clearly portrayed in a human like form. Hindu deities have the ability
to take the form of humans, avatars, animals and even objects. Recognizing this, Hindus create
altar pieces intended to embody a God in an object that does not take on the form of any human
or animal. Shiva being embodied in an object that is not human or animal like is called the
unmanifest form of a God or deity. A Hindu temple, whether Nagara (northern) or Dravida
(southern), is designed to literally be the place of dwelling for a deity; a magnificent palace
where the temple priests faithfully cater to the God’s every need (Mitter p.34). The altar piece
embodying the deity is at the dark, mysterious heart of a Hindu temple known as the garbha grha
or embryo chamber, meaning to evoke the mother’s womb where one feels the unmanifest
presence of the deity (Mitter p.34-35). From this central source flow streams of supernatural
energy outward in all directions and the further one moves away from the garbha grha the less
sacred does the space become (Mitter p.35). The farther from the center of the temple one
moves the more manifest depictions of the deity will be seen on the walls; these images will
often be combined with those of other deities (Mitter p.37). Located within the heart of the
temple is the God Shiva’s unmanifest form which is meant to complement the doctrine of the
“non-dual” in Indian thought (Mitter p.37). In temples honoring Shiva is an altar piece called a
Shivalingam. The Shaivism branch of Hinduism, holds the Shiva and Sakti dualism of two equal
partners at the center of their faith (Mitter p.37). The dualism and sacred coitus between Shiva
and Sakti is represented by the Linga and Yoni, which symbolize their respective sexual organs
(Mitter p.37). When combined the Linga of Shiva and the Yoni of Sakti become the
Shivalingam. The Shivalingam is an unmanifest godhead, the central image is both unbeautiful
and abstract with the intention to reveal the otherness of divinity (Mitter p.37). Unlike other
religions there is no specific day of the week in which Hindus must go to a temple and worship,
rather the temple may be visited as frequently as one wishes.
All the gods which Hindus worship and revere are all connected to one another, in that all
of the gods hold some sort of individual relationship with one another. Shiva has a certain
connection with the Hindu Goddess associated with eternal energy, Kali. Kali is often depicted
in examples of Hindu art as Shiva’s consort or companion with Kali standing or kneeling over
the form of Shiva. The black Dakshinakali or “south facing” Kali is often depicted standing on
the recumbent form of Shiva, while in other depictions Kali is engaged in Viparita-rati or sexual
intercourse with Shiva in which she is on top (Mookerjee p.62). In her limitlessly powerful
Dakshinakali form she is changeless acting in the great drama, awakening the unmanifest Shiva
under her feet (Mookerjee p.62). From the depiction of Kali and Shiva’s intercourse comes the
realization of non-duality that there is no separation or linear flow, just completeness and
fullness (Mookerjee p.63). Both of these sculptures representing the interactions with Kali and
Shiva are 18th century brasses. Man and woman exist separately from one another as individual
entities in most contexts but are capable of great amounts of compassion when together. The
Hindus in particular hold the non-duality, or in separable interaction between man and woman,
within the very heart of their faith; the sculptures depicting the interaction between Shiva and
Kali represent this aspect of Hindu belief. Shiva is also very closely linked with the Hindu god
of preservation, Vishnu. In modern Hinduism Vishnu and Shiva appear as gods of equivalent
stature; the destroying and maintaining masks or attitudes of the Supreme, respectively (Zimmer
p.124-125). Whence Vishnu brings the periodic dissolution of all things to pass he assumes the
appearance of Shiva (Zimmer p.125). The interaction between eternal energy and destruction is
a powerful one and yet it is so well depicted in a piece of Hindu art containing two separate
Deities.
In Hinduism the Gods and Deities make the religion. Everything from the people and the
animals of the earth to the energy of the universe itself can be tied to a God in the eyes of a
Hindu. Some Hindus hold a specific God as the ultimate one; that particular God has more
influence on their individual life as well as the whole universe. Hindu Gods are all knowing and
all powerful. But the individual Gods exist in contrast to one another in that without each other,
the world would cease to retain balance. The ultimate goal of a follower of Hinduism is to
achieve Moksha, which entails liberation from the cycle of rebirth referred to as Samsara.
Hinduism teaches that each and every person exists within the never ending cycle of birth.
Hindus do not aspire to become one of the Gods, but to reach the realm that they dwell in. Shiva
represents that each and everything, no matter how old whether it is a physical object or not,
once “born” is able to and will eventually be destroyed. Despite his all powerful nature, Shiva is
also able to represent the powerful bond created between a man and a woman by taking on a
manifest form and interacting with Kali. Hindu gods such as Shiva embody everything in the
world around to the Hindus, whether it is something one can see and hold or not.
References
Craven, Roy C. Indian Art: a Concise History. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1985. Print.
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art through the Ages: Non-western Perspectives.
13th ed. Boston: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
Mitter, Partha. Indian Art. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.
Mookerjee, Ajit. Kali: the Feminine Force. New York: Destiny, 1988. Print.
Zimmer, Heinrich, and Joseph Campbell. Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization.
Princeton (N.J.): Princeton UP, 1992. Print.