Struck: The arresting power of religious imagery
I love religious art. I think that there's a quality to it which cannot be explained. It doesn't stir feelings of faith in me, but I feel the weight which people's faith and devotion lend the piece. I've been struck by the beauty of Hindu devotional art and architecture for a few years now. I love looking at the richly decorated Shiva Linga , the revered statues of gods and goddesses, the rainbow-adorned temples, and the massive Ratha chariots (which I had always thought were called Juggernauts). However, my appreciation for devotional Hindu art had been only surface-deep. Until I read Darsan by Diana Eck, I never knew the significance of these things, especially the statues. It was easier for me to associate the "aniconic" manifestations of the gods, like the Linga , than it was for me to imagine a deity in a statue, and I'm still unsure why. Shiva Linga (center left, near crack) being worshiped by Gandharvas c. 100 BCE Crucif...