Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book encounters some facet of the multi-stranded phenomenon which seemed to lie at heart of Hinduism –its diverse iconography, its elaborate liturgy, its array of colourful shapes and forms. Anyone who has made even cursory inquiry into Hinduism will know that as amalgam of traditions it abounds in variety and exception, even though these traditions may have, religiously and culturally, a great deal in common. On relationship between Hindu iconography and its Jain and Buddhist counterparts, important though this topic may be, this would inevitably lead into historical ramifications that would deviate from primary focus of our study, namely philosophical and theological underpinning of Hindu images and their worship, with special reference to Vaiṣṇavism. The book talks about sacred images that are constructed visible forms — mental or otherwise — of some envisaged Supreme Deity, contextualized, of course, by their underlying theologies.