India Shiva Imaging Studies

Nowadays, more than 80 percent of Indian are the Hindus. Shiva is one of the three major gods in Hinduism. Shiva has the important position for the Hindus. Most Hindus worship of Vishnu and Shiva, so that there are hundreds of temples dedicate to these two gods. There are two reasons why I choose Shiva as research object. First, Shiva has a high status in the India, and there are adequate research resources; Second, the godhead of Shiva is so complicated and contradictory, meanwhile, Shiva has extensive duties as a god. So there are lots of wonderful sculptures about Shiva that just like a treasury, which deserve us to explore.The focus of this paper talk about regular pattern and changes of Shiva statue in India. At first, I describe the overview of investigate in the“preface”. This paper is divided into nine chapters, and it can be compartmentalized two parts. First part based on field investigation, in order to describe the regularity of Shiva statue, and this part is divided into four chapters:“The orgin of Shiva image , legends and literature resourse”,“Single statue of Shiva”,“Symbolized statue of Shiva”,“Combined statue of Shiva”. Second part is based on the depiction that mentioned above, and this part is divided into three chapters:“Pattern and component of Shiva statue”,“Three styles of Shiva statue”,“Four phenomenon of Shiva statue”.“Pattern and component of Shiva statue”has summarized the pattern and component in Shiva statue;“Three styles of Shiva statue”include“Ellora—Elephanta style”,“Khajuraho style”“Southern style of Chole”. Although it can not include all the typical style of Shiva statue in India, it could direction there are some distinctive style changes by area and time, except common regularity.“Four phenomenon of Shiva statue”is based on Hindu doctrines, in order to reveal the features just like“Diversity”,“Inclusiveness”,“Symbolism”,“Popularity”in Shiva statue, and all these features are rooted in Hindu doctrines. The last chapter has made a conclusion that propose the advantages and disadvantages in research of Shiva statue、the advantages and disadvantages in this paper, and the research in development of Shiva statue in China.The research of Shiva statue is now at primary stage in China, so this paper has made some basic work in this field of research. First, it has made a conclusion which the regularity of Shiva statue; Second, it has open up a research style that compartmentalize different area and time in Shiva statue; Third, it has discussion the relationship between Shiva statue and Hindu doctrines.