Iconography of Shiva in Pahari Painting (An Old and Rare Book)

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THIS IS an attempt to bring to light the important paintings of Saivite themes from the Punjab hills. It has been found that the representations of Siva in his various forms and manifestations is an important characteristic of the art of the hilly regions of India. The Saivite themes in the paintings of Punjab hills have not yet received due attention of the scholars though there are some stray observations and articles. It was felt. That a comprehensive study of the subject would throw light on many interesting points of art and history which have remained unexplored so far. The present study is an attempt at initiating the exploration of this branch of Punjab hill paintings.

The work has been divided into six chapters. The first chapter discusses the supreme position of Siva in the Hindu pantheon and his popularity in the various parts of India. The importance of the present study and the limitations of the previous studies have also been referred too. In the second chapter, an attempt has been made to describe the source materials for the study. I have used the miniatures and the wall paintings depicting Siva as the source materials for the study of the iconography of Siva and also the literary texts for the identification and interpretation of the paintings. In the third chapter, numerous paintings representing Siva in various forms have been described. The relationship between the represented forms and the description in canonical texts form the subject matter of the fourth chapter. The Saivite iconic types noticed in the Pahat paintings are also represented in the paintings and sculptures of other parts of India and outside India. A comparative study of this has been undertaken in the fifth chapter. In the sixth chapter some observations have been made, not to offer any conclusion, but only to sum up the basic points of iconography of Siva that emerge out of the present study. The study.