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Visnu is a Vedic god and five hymns of the Rgveda are dedicated to him. Besides he is invoked in serveral other hymns with other deities. Though, as compared to other god, Visny ;does not enjoy much prominence in the Rgveda, but still his exalted position becomes evident, when he is conceived as the one who pervades the entire universe and also the one who culd measure the universe with his Muir, Keith, Dhandikar and several others think him to enjoy a subordinate position in the Vedic texts, still his supremacy over others with the aforesaid, inherent quatlities of his character could not be denied. The image of Visnu witnessed a gradual development in the post-Vedic period. Some slight changes are seem in the Brahmanas, and Aranyakas. The early Upanisads and the Ramayana conceive him to be four armed, with Garuda as his vehicle. But in the Mahabharata he was conceived as the Supreme Lord; the preserver and the only saviour of the universe and declares. This declaration led to the develolopment of the theory of the incarnations of Visnu. Indeed some of the incarnations of Visnu are adored much more than the Lord himself. Of course, there has been a gradual development of the personality of Visnu in the epics which rose to all heights in the Vaisnava Puranas. The Indian artist was deeply influenced with the popularity of Visnu, his incarnations besdes the Vaisnava cult and created serveral art forms, specimens of which are available in sculptures, bronzes, terracottas, seals, sealings, coinage, frescoes and miniature paintings not only in the country, but also in the countries beyond Indian frontiers. Present work deals with the genesis and evolution of Visnu and Vaisnava cult, and the representation of Visnu in art from the earliest times to the late medieval period. Taking into consideration the extensive coverage of topics in this work, based on the evidence of literary, epigraphical numismatics, the sculptural art, and other Acrhaeological souurces, it could be termed as an encyclopaedic one.
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