ABSTRACT
In many religious systems, the deities are depicted in their iconographic forms. Such visual representation of deities complements what is written about them in the texts. It provides a concrete shape to various attributes and features which a deity represents. Several gods and goddesses have their own iconographic forms which reflect the Puranic and tantric traditions. Information as regards the iconography of Sarasvati derives primarily from literary and archeological sources. The Vedas, the Brahmanas and the Puranas as also scholarly publications mainly constitute the literary source and contain information on the transformational aspect of Sarasvati. The iconographic symbolism of Sarasvati has also been described in a metaphysical sense with a different meaning attached to her four arms which implies four directions indicating her all-pervasive character. Sarasvati is one of the few Hindu deities who has been extensively inducted in the Buddhist pantheon and as Shaw, puts it 'as an object of Buddhist invocation, ritual and worship'.
