Abstract
ABSTRACTThe early medieval Śaiva Siddhānta school, a theistic school of Hinduism, positively embraced material forms as means for worshipers to approach the god Śiva. Theistic schools of thought like the Śaiva Siddhānta and their iconophilic ritual practices are responsible for the profusion of religious images we see in Hinduism. This essay examines how priests and worshipers addressed these issues in early medieval South India. There are two primary themes. One is Śiva’s material polymorphism. According to the Śaivas, Śiva intervenes pervasively throughout the cosmos. Therefore, the material forms that he may inhabit are also many and diverse. The annual temple festival provides a rich illustration of Śiva’s multiple forms. The second theme is the translucency of the material object of worship. Since a consecrated icon is considered replete with Śiva’s presence, a viewer can learn to see with a devotional eye through the materiality of the object to other dimensions of Śiva’s being. The songs of the Tamil poet-saints provide a program for this devotional gaze into the divine fullness contained in a material form.
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