God's Body, or, the Lingam made Flesh: Conflicts Over the Representation of Shiva 1
God's Body, or, the Lingam made Flesh: Conflicts Over the Representation of Shiva 1
This chapter examines the concept of lingam in Hinduism and its association with the Hindu god Shiva. It begins with a discussion of the history of the usages of the word lingam in ancient texts and the evidence of material images of the Shiva-lingam in Indian art, along with the historical role of foreign empires in the formation of contemporary attitudes toward the lingam. In particular, it traces the origins of the lingam to the Indus Valley Civilization in what is now northwest India and Pakistan. It also considers the appearance of the word lingam in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Mahabharata. Furthermore, it looks into the lingam in Gudimallam in southeastern Andhra Pradesh which is believed to be the earliest physical depiction of Shiva. The chapter also describes the role of the lingam in Hinduism under Muslim and Raj rule and concludes with an analysis of the problem of lingam symbolism.
Keywords: lingam, Hinduism, Shiva, Indian art, Indus Valley Civilization, India, Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Gudimallam
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
