Sacred Statues

In the light of the historical as well as the present standpoint in the general regard, sacred art has an imagination of its own, the ultimate essence of which has a particular purpose. This very purpose revolves around the idea of uplifting the mind and making it reach a spiritually peaceful state. On the surface, it appears as an object to the naked eye but the real value of sacred monuments of art do not lie in what they are made of or how they appear to be. Instead the core of their importance is determined by what they actually represent. As far as the Roman Catholic faith is concerned, objects that are representatives of sacred art are referred to as sacramentals. However there are still branches of Christianity, which regard all the non-Christian sacred art as nothing but ‘cult images’. These ‘cult images’ as they are so eloquently referred to as are considered idols, which are worshipped by followers of other religions and are therefore not considered sacred art by a great number of Christians.

As far as other religions are concerned, specially Hinduism and Budhhism, sacred art is mostly represented by sacred idols (or sacred statues), most of whom are the Divine Gods that the followers of these religions believe in. Since these religions teach polytheism, it is a usual and general concept amongst budhhists and Hindus to worship these idols and consider them an integral part of their sacred faith. There is a great number of Tibetian Budhhist artforms, which share a strong linkage with the practice of Vajrayana, which is also known as Budhhist tantra. The essence of Budhhist art usually stresses on sacred objects (mostly idols and statues), which are made for worshipping. The art of crafting these sacred statues is considered an exercise in meditation. In some rare cases, the making of some sacred objects are meant to serve as an aid to the process of meditation.

As in the case of Hinduism, the process of making and crafting sacred statues and other objects (which range from temples to domes to mausoleums) of religious importance is a matter of honor in itself. The artwork that Hindu temples are adorned with, depict the essence of devotion and dedication of the followers, which they had attempted to reflect in their artistic work. The major sacred statues, which the Hindus consider absolutely important include the Ganesh idol, who is not only the older son of Lord Shiva but is also referred to as the God of knowledge and is also believed to be the prime source behind the removal of obstacles. Then there is Krishna God, the idol of which is always shown as playing the flute (known as murali in the traditional language). This flute is considered to be spreading the message of love in its soft melody. This God is usually worshipped with the idol of Lord Krishna’s devotee Radha. Their couple symbolizes eternal love between people and God. Then there is the idol of Goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of prosperity, purity, chastity and generosity. Her idol has four hands, each of which represent four spiritual values. She is considered by the Hindus to be surrounded by an aura of eternal prosperity and physical and mental satisfaction. Also there are the idols of Lord Shiva, whose statue has a meditative yet a happy posture. Then there is Goddess Kali, whose idol represents death and disaster and the rise of the end to everything. Basically she is considered the destroyer as well as the creatrix of everything that exists in this world. In addition to all these important sacred statues, there is Lord Hanuman, who is a pure picture of courage, hope, knowledge, intellect and devotion.

On an ending note, the basic conclusion derived from sacred statues and their purpose is the fact that they symbolize the religious devotion of the followers of many religions.