Lives of Indian Images

by Richard H. Davis

For many centuries, Hindus have taken it for granted that the religious images they place in temples and home shrines for purposes of worship are alive. Hindu priests bring them to life through a complex ritual "establishment" that invokes the god or goddess into material support. Priests and devotees then maintain the enlivened image as a divine person through ongoing liturgical they must awaken it in the morning, bathe it, dress it, feed it, entertain it, praise it, and eventually put it to bed at night. In this linked series of case studies of Hindu religious objects, Richard Davis argues that in some sense these believers are through ongoing interactions with humans, religious objects are brought to life.

Davis draws largely on reader-response literary theory and anthropological approaches to the study of objects in society in order to trace the biographies of Indian religious images over many centuries. He shows that Hindu priests and worshipers are not the only ones to enliven images. Bringing with them differing religious assumptions, political agendas, and economic motivations, others may animate the very same objects as icons of sovereignty, as polytheistic "idols," as "devils," as potentially lucrative commodities, as objects of sculptural art, or as symbols for a whole range of new meanings never foreseen by the images' makers or original worshipers.

Genres: Religion, India

350 pages, Hardcover

First published February 14, 1997

About the author

Born: 1951; Professor of Religion; Director, Religion Program; Director, Asian Studies Program;
Bard College

Reviews

[Revanth Ukkalam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The genius of the author begins with the crafting of the title. The 'lives' of Indian images emerges not only from the careers that these images embody and the journeys that they make through creation, fulfillment, movement, destruction, recovery; but also because they do have 'lives'. These are images that are not just a lump of soil, a staff of stone, or a piece of metal. In them reside almighty himself. Hence the book begins with a survey of the notion of Avatarana, a fascinating concept by which way infinite is captured in the finite. The rest of the book is filled with wonderful stories - of these images with lives making their journeys sometimes out of will and other times by the diktat that fate delivers. Never had I imagined before this book that the lord of Sri Rangam would make a pilgrimage through the various Vaishnava sites of Southern India and visit his own other Avataras: Alagar Perumal, Cheluva Narayana, and Venkatesha for instance with the fear of the invader from Delhi. Or say Krishna's journey from Odisha to Hampi to its place today at Egmore. A favourite of the author is the various lives of not an image but the motif of the Somanatha - a story today recollected with much anguish. The book furthermore makes an enjoyable read - academia is indeed for all.

[Zo]

There's a big difference between images as "art" and as religious or political symbols.

[Sudha · Rating 5 out of 5]

...have to re-read it. found it fascinating and full of interesting accounts of some Icons such as the Pathur Nataraja among others.