Iconography of Gaṅgā and Yamunā

In Hinduism the river Ganga and Yamuna are personified as female deities and the rivers as well as their icons are worshipped as one with the belief that they will purify the devotees by their mystic powers while one enters into the temples in this earthly world or the soul after death in the other world.The rich artistic tradition of positioning the figures of the river goddesses at the entrance of the temples followed from the Gupta period onwards is fully explored through the sculptures found intact with the temples and those preserved in the museum. It discusses the divine origin of the river goddesses and their association with the Hindu Gods particularly Siva based on the myths and legends contained in the Hindu mythology as well as the narrative content of the relief sculptures. The changing roles of the river goddesses, their association with the dvarapalas (door guardians) and the historical and regional influences in the development of their iconography is the main essence of the book. The volume brings to light some new and fresh data that has not been subjected to rigorous analysis earlier and discusses the different view and approaches of the art historians on the images of Ganga and Yamuna in Hindu temples. By piecing together the old and new materials as well as the textual references to the river goddesses the study throws a welcome light on the religious symbolism and the development of the iconography of Ganga and Yamuna. The volume fills the need in the growing literature on the art and iconography of the Hindu goddesses and will be useful to the researchers.