PDA

View Full Version : Seeker's Questions: Portraits and Idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses



saidevo
07 September 2006, 10:56 PM
There is a consistency in facial and other physical features of our Gods and Goddesses in their portraits. When and how did the earliest portraits originate? Who were the first artists? Did our rishis give any specifications?

This amazing consistency is not just for identifying our personal gods. It helps a Hindu to concentrate on the god during a puja at home, and during meditation on a form.

How much of such consistency do we find in the god-forms of idols and statues? For example, the pratima-s of our gods are much different between the south and north Indian temples, but the portraits generally look the same.