Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

ART

ICONOGRAPHY

with multiple heads and hands (fig-4,4a) were created to dis- tinguish the divine from the hu- man and thus establish their distinct and super human iden- tity. The religious doctrines, the theological and metaphysical theories of incarnation, ema- nation and transmigration, brought about corresponding changes in the icons. Vishnu in his incarnatory and emanatory forms, Shiva in his

Iconography in the ordinary sense of the term can be defined as a graphic-study of the icons. It is graphic as the study involves a total approach in comprehending the significance of the icons. The comprehension presupposes a proper understanding of the term icon itself. Icon refers to an image or a figure executed essentially for the purpose of worship, for being meditated upon, for memorial services or for offering funerary rites. In its extended meaning the icon can primarily have religious and secondarily socio-cultural con- notation. While this definition is applicable to iconography and icons in general, in the Indian context, the study acquires a special signifi- cance due to the proliferation of faiths ranging from monotheistic to polytheistic beliefs based on various technical works (shastras), mythologies (puranas), historical works (ithihasas) and the neces- sary adjuncts of rituals and rites. While all icons can be figures, all figures cannot be icons. To be an icon, the figure should articulate, effectively, a particular concept. This pre-condition, thus makes the study of the icon in isolation, in- complete. The icons thus tend to become meaningful in the context of concepts, myths, legends, rites and rituals.

destructive, benevolent

and

dancing

forms,

The evolutionary trends indi- cate that, earlier the icon, the simpler its form. In some of the terracotta figurines, identified as mother goddesses, (fig-1) dated

to pre-historic and proto-historic times, the distinctive traits are limited to the representation of exaggeratedly large breasts, hips and vagina - the essential organs of fertility and procreation. In course of time the same female divinity, (fig-2) when re-

quired to play the role of a protector, destroyer of the demons, bestower of boons, emerged as Annapurna en- dowed with a bowl, Durga wielding sword and the shield, Saraswati (fig- 3) holding the rosary and a palm leaf manuscript. Similarly, responding readily to mythological situations, the figures

Jina as Tirthankaras, Buddha in his Bodhisattva forms, Devi in a variety of bountiful and wrathful forms began to appear in larger numbers. Subsequently when an attempt was made to integrate these di- verse sectarian forces, through a process of amalgamation of dif- ferent ideologies, a set of new icons emerged. Described in iconographic terms as ‘composite’ images, these icons embodied reconciliatory traits aimed at nullifying the effects of extremism and gender imbalances. Harihara, dattatreya, trimurti, suryanarayana, (fig-5) ardhanarishvara, to mention a few, are examples of com- posite forms evolved under such contingencies.