Many Heads, Arms, and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in Indian ArtOne of the first things that strike the Western viewer of Indian art is the multiplicity of heads, arms and eyes. This convention grows out of imagery conceived by Vedic sages to explain creation. This book for the first time investigates into the meaning of this convention. The author concentrates on its origins in Hindu art and on preceding textual references to the phenomenon of multiplicity. The first part establishes a general definition for the convention. Examination of all Brahmanical literature up to, and sometimes beyond, the 1st - 3rd century A.D., adds more information to this basic definition. The second part applies this literary information mainly to icons of the Yaksa, ?iva, V?sudeva-K?s?a and the Goddess, and indicates how Brahmanical cultural norms, exemplified in Mathur?, can transmit textual symbols. Both Part I and Part II provide iconic modules and a "methodology to generate interpretations" for icons with this remarkable feature through the Gupta age. |
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Contents
Section A Introduction | 3 |
Section B Basic Definitions in the Samhitas | 24 |
Transference of the Purușa Ideal into the Brāhmaṇas | 60 |
Multiplicity in the Upanisads | 83 |
Section E Multiplicity in the Epics and Beyond | 129 |
Section F The Prehistoric Period | 179 |
Section G The PreKuṣāņa Period | 197 |
Section H The Kuṣāņa Period | 240 |
Epilogue | 325 |
339 | |
351 | |
Other editions - View all
Many Heads, Arms, and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in ... Doris Srinivasan No preview available - 1997 |
Many Heads, Arms and Eyes: Origin, Meaning and Form of Multiplicity in ... Doris Meth Srinivasan No preview available - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
Agni Agnicayana already ancient appears arms aspect associated attributes becomes beginning body Brahman Brāhmaṇa called century century A.D. Chapter coins comes complete connection considered contains continues cosmic creation creator Cultural deity Delhi depicted described directions divine early eight evidence example existence expression face figure five four four-armed god's gods Gonda hand heads Hindu holds iconography icons identified Indian indicates inscription Kuṣāņa later Linga Male manifestation material Mathura meaning mentioned mukha multiple bodily multiplicity multiplicity convention Museum names Nārāyaṇa nature noted notion occurs origin passage period Photograph courtesy possible Prajapati probably Purușa references region relate relief religious representations represents ritual Rudra sculpture seen seven side significance Śiva Srinivasan Studies symbolic third tradition universe Upanisad Vasudeva Veda Vedic verse Viśvarūpa womb worship Yakṣa