Dr UDAY DOKAAS

MURTI or IDOLS of HINDUISM

Shilpani, works of art of man,
imitate the divine forms,
by employing their rhythms,
they metrically reconstitute,
and interpret the limitless knowledge,
of the sacred hymns,
from the limits of being human.
— Aitareya Brahmana, Rig Veda, 6.5.27
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS

Murti (Sanskrit: मूर्ति, ISO: Mūrti; lit. 'form, embodiment, or solid object') is a general term for an

image, statue or idol of a deity or mortal in Indian culture.In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon.
A murti is itself not a god in Hinduism, but it is a shape, embodiment or manifestation of a deity.
Murti are also found in some nontheistic Jainism traditions, where they serve as symbols of
revered mortals inside Jain temples, and are worshiped in murtipujaka rituals.
A murti is typically made by carving stone, wood working, metal casting or through pottery.
Ancient era texts describing their proper proportions, positions and gestures include
the Puranas, Agamas and Samhitas. The expressions in a murti vary in diverse Hindu traditions,
ranging from Ugra symbolism to express destruction, fear and violence (Durga, Kali), as well
as Saumya symbolism to express joy, knowledge and harmony (Saraswati, Lakshmi). Saumya
images are most common in Hindu temples. Other murti forms found in Hinduism include
the linga.
A murti is an embodiment of the divine, the Ultimate Reality or Brahman to some Hindus. In
religious context, they are found in Hindu temples or homes, where they may be treated as a
beloved guest and serve as a participant of puja in Hinduism.  In other occasions, it serves as the
centre of attention in annual festive processions and these are called utsava murti. The earliest
murti are mentioned by Pāṇini in 4th century BCE. Prior to that the agnicayana ritual ground
seemed to served as a template for the temple.
Murti is sometimes referred to as murthi, or vigraha or pratima.

Javanese Girl and child. A murti of Parvati Ganesha in Maheshwar temple

 Dr UDAY DOKAAS

Nomenclature: Goddess Durga and a pantheon of other gods and goddesses being worshipped

during Durga Puja Festival in Kolkata. This image was taken in Block - G.D, Saltlake Durga
Puja 2018 in North Kolkata.
Murti literally means any solid body or form with definite shape or limits produced from
material elements. It contrasts with mind, thought and the immaterial in ancient Indian literature.
The term also refers to any embodiment, manifestation, incarnation, personification, appearance,
image, idol or statue of a deity.

The earliest mention of the term murti occurs in primary Upanishads composed in the 1st

millennium BCE, particularly in verse 3.2 of Aitareya Upanishad, verse 1.13 of Shvetashvatara
Upanishad, verse 6.14 of Maitrayaniya Upanishad and verse 1.5 of Prashna Upanishad.
The section includes the concept of Time and non-Time, stating that non-Time as that which
existed before creation of universe, and time as which came into existence with the creation of
universe. Non-time is indivisible, time is divisible, and the Maitri Upanishad then asserts that the
"year is the mūrti of time" Robert Hume translates the discussion of "mūrti of time", in verse
6.14 of the Maitri Upanishad, as "form".
Most scholars, such as Jan Gonda, Max Muller, PV Kane and Stephanie Jamison, state that there
were neither murti nor temples nor idol-facilitated worship in the Vedic era. The Vedic
Hinduism rituals were directed at nature and abstract deities called during yajna with hymns.
However, there isn't universal consensus, with scholars such as AC Das, pointing to the
word Mūradeva in Rig Veda verses 7.104.24, 10.87.2 and 10.87.14. This word may refer to
"Deva who is fixed" or "Deva who is foolish". The former interpretation, if accurate, may imply
that there were communities in the Vedic era who had Deva in the form of murti, and the context
of these hymns suggest that the term could possibly be referring to practices of the tribal
communities outside of the Vedic fold. 6th-century Brihat samhita, an influential encyclopaedia
whose chapters 57-60 are dedicated to the design and architecture of murti and temples. This
Sanskrit text exists in many Indian scripts, and was preserved in Buddhist, Jain and Hindu
temples and monasteries.
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
One of the earliest firm textual evidence of Deva images, in the sense of murti, is found
in Jivikarthe Capanye by the Sanskrit grammarian Pāṇini who lived about 4th century BCE. He
mentions Acala and Cala, with former referring to images in a shrine, and the latter meaning
images that were carried from place to place. Panini also mentions Devalaka, meaning
custodians of images of worship who show the images but do not sell them, as well as Jivika as
people whose source of livelihood was the gifts they received from devotees. In ancient Sanskrit
texts that follow Panini's work, numerous references are found to divine images with terms such
as Devagrha, Devagara, Devakula, Devayatana and others. These texts, states Noel Salmond,
strongly suggest that temples and murti were in existence in ancient India by about 4th century
BCE. Recent archaeological evidence confirms that the knowledge and art of sculpture was
established in India by the Maurya Empire period (~3rd century BCE).
By early 1st millennium BCE, the term murti meant idols, image or statue in various Indian texts
such as Bhavishya Purana verse 132.5.7, Brihat Samhita 1.8.29 and inscriptions in different parts
of India.[2] The term murti has been a more generic term referring to an idol or statue of anyone,
either a deity, of any human being, animal or any art. Pratima includes murti as well as painting
of any non-anthropomorphic object. In contrast, Bera or Bimba meant "idol of god" only,
and Vigraha was synonymous with Bimba.
Types: Murti in diverse Hindu traditions vary widely in their expression. Raudra or ugra images
express destruction, fear and violence, such as Kali image on left. Shanta or saumya images
express joy, knowledge and harmony, such as Saraswati (centre). Saumya images are most
common in Hindu temples. Linga murti (right) are an alternate form.
A murti in contemporary usage is any image or statue. It may be found inside or outside a temple
or home, installed to be moved with a festive procession (utsava murti), or just be a landmark. It
is a significant part of Hindu iconography, and is implemented in many ways. Two major
categories include:
 Raudra or Ugra - are images that were meant to terrify, induce fear. These typically have
wide, circular eyes, carry weapons, have skulls and bones as adornment. These idols were
worshipped by soldiers before going to war, or by people in times of distress or errors.
Raudra deity temples were not set up inside villages or towns, but invariably outside and in
remote areas of a kingdom.
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
 Shanta and Saumya - are images that were pacific, peaceful and expressive of love,
compassion, kindness and other virtues in Hindu pantheon. These images would carry
symbolic icons of peace, knowledge, music, wealth, flowers, sensuality among other things.
In ancient India, these temples were predominant inside villages and towns.
Beyond anthropomorphic forms of religious murti, some traditions of Hinduism
cherish aniconism, where alternate symbols are shaped into a murti, such as the linga for
Shiva, yoni for Devi, and the saligrama for Vishnu.

Offerings fo the Gods to the temple

Shilpa Shastras (Sanskrit: शिल्प शास्त्र śilpa śāstra) literally means the Science of Shilpa (arts and
crafts). It is an ancient umbrella term for numerous Hindu texts that describe arts, crafts, and
their design rules, principles and standards. In the context of temple design, Shilpa Shastras were
manuals for sculpture and Hindu iconography, prescribing among other things, the proportions of
a sculptured figure, composition, principles, meaning, as well as rules of architecture.
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
Sixty-four techniques for such arts or crafts, sometimes called bāhya-kalā "external or practical
arts", are traditionally enumerated, including carpentry, architecture, jewellery, farriery, acting,
dancing, music, medicine, poetry etc., besides sixty-four abhyantara-kalā or "secret arts", which
include mostly "erotic arts" such as kissing, embracing, etc. While Shilpa and Vastu Shastras are
related, Shilpa
Shastras deal with arts and crafts such as forming statues, icons, stone murals, painting,
carpentry, pottery, jewellery, dying, textiles and others. Vastu Shastras deal with building
architecture – building houses, forts, temples, apartments, village and town layout, etc.

Shilpa refers to any art or craft in ancient Indian texts, while Shastra means science. Together,
Shilpa Shastra means the science of art and crafts. The ancient Sanskrit texts use the term Shilpin
(male artist) and Shilpini ( female artist) for artists and crafts person, while Shilpani refers to
works of arts of man.

Shilpani, works of art of man,

imitate the divine forms,
by employing their rhythms,
they metrically reconstitute,
and interpret the limitless knowledge,
of the sacred hymns,
from the limits of being human.
— Aitareya Brahmana, Rig Veda, 6.5.27
The meaning of Shilpa, according to Stella Kramrisch, is complex. She writes that it consists of
"art, skill, craft, labor, ingenuity, rite and ritual, form and creation." The range of crafts
encompassed by the term Shilpa extends to every aspect of culture, includes sculptor, the potter,
the perfumer, the wheelwright, the painter, the weaver, the architect, the dancer, the musician,
the arts of love, and others. Ancient Indian texts assert that the number of the arts is unlimited,
they deploy sixty four kala (techniques) and thirty two vidyas ( fields of knowledge). Shilpa is
discussed in Agamas, Puranas and Vastu Shastra where it is linked to the mythology of
Vishvakarma.
In painting
Shilpa Shastras include chapters on paintings, both miniature and large. [13] For example, Narada
Shilpa Shastra dedicates chapters 66 and 71 to painting, while Saraswati Shilpa Shastra describes
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
various types of chitra (full painting), ardhachitra (sketch work), chitrabhasa (communication
through painting), varna samskara (preparation of colors).
Other ancient Shilpa Shastra on painting include Vishnudharmottara Purana and Chitralakshana,
former is available in Sanskrit while the only surviving copies of latter are in Tibetan (both were
originally written on birch bark, and have been translated into English and German). [15] These
Sanskrit treatises discuss the following aspects of a painting: measurement, proportions,
perspective of the viewer, mudra, emotions, and rasa (meaning). Such an approach of Indian
paintings, states Isabella Nardi, make Shilpa Shastra not only canonical textual sources but also a
means to transmit knowledge and spiritual themes.
In carpentry
The first chapter of Shilpa Shastra Manasara discusses the measurement principles for carpentry.
The 9th-century version of Mayamata text of Tamil Nadu and 16th Century version of
Shilparatna of Odisha describe takshaka and vardhaki as wood Shilpins; takshaka possesses the
knowledge of wood types and practices the art of cutting wood, while vardhaki possesses the
knowledge of wood forms and practices the art of carpentry. One of the earliest mentions of
carpentry arts is in Book 9, Chapter 112 of Rig Veda. Carpentry was also an essential Shilpa
Shastra during the construction of a Hindu temple.
In metallurgy
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
The 4th-century CE 99.7% pure Iron pillar in Delhi reflecting the metal-related shilpa in ancient India. The
pillar was moved and reinstalled near Qutb complex about 1000 years later. The upper part of the pillar
remains without any rust damage; the lower, reinstalled in-ground part shows signs of rust.

The Vedas, in particular Atharva veda and Sthapatya veda, describe many kinds of arts and crafts
in their discussion of Shilpa Shastra and Yantra Sarvasva. The Rig veda, states Ravi mentions
equipment used in casting, such as dhamatri (cupola), gharma aranmaya (crucible) and bhastri
(blower). These discussions are in the context of making idols, and describe rules to achieve best
talmana (proportions), mudra (stance) and bhava (expression). Sanskrit texts such as Shilparatna
and Manasaradescribe in detail the process and principles for art work with metals, particularly
for alloys such as panchadhatu (five metals – zinc, tin, copper, silver and gold) and ashtadhatu
(eight metal alloys – which adds iron, lead and mercury to panchatu). Madhuchista Vidhana (cire
perdue or lost wax) casting process is the most discussed process in these ancient shilpa shastras
with metals. Kirk suggests that these Shastras diffused from India to other ancient cultures in
Asia.
While there is empirical evidence of high purity metallurgy and art works with other metals,
some ancient Shilpa Shastras have been lost. For example, the 5th century Iron Pillar of Delhi,
which stands 23 feet, weighs 6 tonnes and contains 99.72% iron without showing any signs of
rust, is empirical evidence of the state of metallurgical arts in 5th century India.

Birth was no barrier- Shilpa Shastra education in ancient India

All arts were the domain of all classes, castes and both genders in ancient India. The ancient
texts of Parashara states that all crafts were practised by anyone irrespective of family's
occupation. The Buddhist Jatakas mention Brahmin carpenters, the 4th century text Baudhayana
describes chariot builders, carpenters, brick-workers, potters and metal workers from people of
people classified as Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Suttavibhanga describes builders and
wheelwrights born to Shudra father and Brahmin mother, who by later texts would be described
as untouchables. The goldsmiths of Maharashtra included children born in cattle herding
families.
Apprenticeship
Apprentices joined and trained under masters. The best were adopted and recognised as members
of various art guilds. The training began from childhood, and included studies about dharma,
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
culture, reading, writing, mathematics, geometry, colors, tools, as well as trade secrets – these
were called Tradition.
Guilds
Shilpins had formed Śreni (guilds) in ancient India. Each guild formed its own laws and code of
conduct, one the ancient Hindu and Buddhist kings of India respected by tradition. In some
cases, the king established the laws of the guilds; in some cases, the king's treasurer had the final
word and served as judge of various guilds in a kingdom.These guilds, in the 1st millennium BC,
included all those who practised the art irrespective of the artist's caste or creed.[32] The income of
each guild came from fees paid by new members joining the guild, from fines on those violating
the code of conduct established by the guild, and levies on tools used for that art. The guilds also
performed charity and gifted collective works of art by their members to temples and other social
works. During festivals and social celebrations, each guild would contribute their own
performance and pavilions with flags and emblems. Creative work and artists were granted the
sanctions of a sacrament in ancient Indian culture, states Stella Kramrisch. An artist expresses
the spiritual and holiness in his or her art. This belief continues to manifest itself in modern India
in the form of rituals, where in an autumn festival (Dashahra), craftsmen in parts of India
worship their tools with incense, flowers and unhusked rice.
Brhat Samhita at verses 57.10-11 describes the practice of carpenters offering prayers and
seeking forgiveness of a tree before cutting it for wood. The axe used to cut the tree would be
rubbed with honey and butter to minimise the hurt to the tree which was considered to be a living
being. Craft was seen as application of essence of Purusha (Universal Principles) to parts of
nature so as to transform it into a work of art.
Treatises on Shilpa Shastras
Some known Shilpa Shastras-related manuscripts include:
 Mayashastra (image printing, wall decoration)
 Bimbamana (painting)
 Sukratniti (pratima – murti or vigraha making, icon design)
 Suprabhedagama
 Vishnu dharmottara purana (literature, music, theatre, dance, painting, sculpture,
iconography, architecture)
 Agamas (have chapters on other shilpa shastras)
 Agni purana (iconography)
 Brahmanda purana (mostly architecture, some sections on arts)
 Vastu vidya
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
 Pratima lakshana vidhanam
 Gargeyam
 Manasara (many chapters on casting, moulding carving, polishing and making of arts and
crafts)
 Atriyam
 Pratima mana lakshanam (includes chapters on repair of broken idols and art works)
 Dasa tala nyagrodha pari mandala
 Sambudhabhasita pratima lakshana vivarana nama
 Mayamatam (construction – architecture, vehicles, etc.)
 Brhat Samhita
 Shilpa ratnam (Purvabhaga book has 46 chapters on arts and construction of house/towns,
Uttarabhaga has 35 chapters on sculpture, icons and related topics of smaller scale)
 Yukti kalpataru (various arts, including jewelry)
 Shilpa kala darsanam
 Samarangana Sutradhara
 Vishva karma prakasam
 Matsya purana
 Garuda purana
 Kashyapa shilpashastra
 Bhavishya purana (mostly architecture, some sections on arts)
 Alankara shastra
 Artha shastra (general crafts such as windows and doors, as well as public utilities)
 Chitra kalpa (ornaments)
 Chitra karmashastra
 Maya shilpashastra (in Tamil)
 Vishvakarma shilpa (arts on columns, wood working)
 Agastya (wood based arts and crafts)
 Mandana Shilpa Shastra (diya, lamps related crafts)
 Ratna shastra (pearls, string, jewelry crafts)
 Ratna pariksha (jewelry)
 Ratna samgraha (jewelry)
 Laghu ratna pariksha (jewelry, lapidary)
 Manimahatmya (lapidary)
 Agastimata (lapidary crafts)
 Anangaranga (erotic arts)
 Kamasutra (artistic activities)
 Rati rahasya (erotic arts)
 Kandarpa chudamani (erotic arts)
 Natya shastra (theatre, dance, music, fragments on painting and sculpture)
 Nrttaratnavali (crafts for fashion and public performance)
 Sangita ratna kara (crafts for fashion, dance and public performance)
 Nalapaka (food, utensils, and culinary crafts)
 Paka darpana (food, utensils, and culinary crafts)
 Paka vijnana (food, utensils, and culinary crafts)
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
 Pakarnava (food, utensils, and culinary crafts)
 Kuttanimatam (textile arts)
 Kadambari by Banabhatta (chapters on textile art and crafts)
 Samaymatrka (textile arts)
 Yantra Kosha (musical instruments, Overview in Bengali Language)
 Sangita ratna kara (music crafts)
 Śilpa-ratna-kośa (architecture, sculpture)
 Cilappatikaaram (a 2nd-century Tamil classic on music and dance, sections on musical
instruments)
 Manasollasa (arts and crafts relating to musical instruments, cooking, textiles, decoration)
 Vastuvidya (sculpture, icons, painting, and minor arts and crafts)
 Upavana vinoda (Sanskrit treatise on arbori-horticulture arts, garden house design,
aspects of house plants related crafts)
 Vastusutra Upanishad (oldest known Sanskrit Shilpa Shastra text, 6 chapters, deals with
image making, describes how image arts are means of communicating emotions and
spiritual freedom).

Murti, when produced properly, are made according to the design rules of the Shilpa
Shastras. They recommend materials, measurements, proportion, decoration and symbolism of
the murti. Explanation of the metaphysical significance of each stage of manufacture and the
prescription of specific mantras to sanctify the process and evoke and invoke the power of the
deity in the image are found in the liturgical handbooks the Agamas and Tantras. In Tantric
traditions, a murti is installed by priests through the Prana pratishta ceremony, where mantras
are recited sometimes with yantras (mystic diagrams), whereby state Harold Coward and David
Goa, the "divine vital energy of the cosmos is infused into the sculpture" and then the divine is
welcomed as one would welcome a friend.The esoteric Hindu tantric traditions through texts
such as Tantra-tattva follow elaborate rituals to infuse life into a murti. Some tantra texts such as
the Pancaratraraksa state that anyone who considers an icon of Vishnu as nothing but "an
ordinary object" made of iron "goes to hell".The use of murti and particularly the prana
pratistha consecration ceremony, states Buhnemann, has been criticised by Hindu groups. These
groups state that this practice came from more recent "false tantra books", and there is not a
single word in the Vedas about such a ceremony.

A Hindu prayer before cutting a tree for a murti

Oh Tree! you have been selected for the worship of a deity,
Salutations to you!
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
I worship you per rules, kindly accept it.
May all who live in this tree, find residence elsewhere,
May they forgive us now, we bow to them.
—Brihat Samhita 59.10 - 59.11

The artists who make any art or craft, including murti, were known as shilpins. The formally
trained Shilpins shape the murti not in accordance with fancy but in accordance with canonical
manuals such as the Agamas and the Shilpa Shastras texts such as Vishvakarma. The material of
construction range from clay to wood to marble to metal alloys such as panchaloha. The sixth
century Brihat Samhita and eighth century text Manasara-Silpasastra (literally: "treatise on art
using method of measurement"), identify nine materials for murti construction – gold, silver,
copper, stone, wood, sudha (a type of stucco, mortar plaster), sarkara (gravel,
grit), abhasa (marble types), and earth (clay, terracotta). For abhasa, the texts describe working
methods for various types of marble, specialised stones, colours, and a range of opacity
(transparent, translucent and crystal).
Brihat Samhita, a 6th-century encyclopaedia of a range of topics from horticulture to astrology to
gemology to murti and temple design, specifies in Chapter 56 that the pratima (murti) height
should be  of the sanctum sanctorum's door height, the Pratima height and the sanctum
sanctorum room's width be in the ratio of 0.292, it stand on a pedestal that is 0.146 of sanctum
room width, thereafter the text describes 20 types of temples with their dimensions. Chapter 58
of the text describes the ratios of various anatomical parts of a murti, from head to toe, along
with the recommendation in verse 59.29 that generally accepted variations in dress, decoration
and dimensions of local regional traditions for the murti is the artistic tradition.

Proper murti design is described in ancient and medieval Indian texts. They describe proportions,
posture, expressions among other details, often referencing to nature.
The texts recommend materials of construction, proportions, postures and mudra, symbolic items
the murti holds in its hands, colours, garments and ornaments to go with the murti of each god or
goddess, vehicles of deities such as Garuda, bull and lion, and other details. The texts also
include chapters on the design of Jaina and Buddhist murti, as well as reliefs of sages, apsaras,
different types of devotees (based on bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, karma yoga, ascetics) to decorate
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
the area near the murti. The texts recommend that the material of construction and relative scale
of murti be correlated to the scale of the temple dimensions, using twelve types of comparative
measurements.
In Southern India, the material used predominantly for murti is black granite, while material in
North India is white marble. However, for some Hindus, it is not the materials used that matter,
but the faith and meditation on the universal Absolute Brahman. More particularly, devotees
meditate or worship on the formless God (nirguna Brahman) through murti symbolism of God
(saguna Brahman) during a puja before a murti, or the meditation on a Tirthankara in the case of
Jainism, thus making the material of construction or the specific shape of the murti not spiritually
important.
According to John Keay, "Only after achieving remarkable expertise in the portrayal of the
Buddha figure and of animal and human, did Indian stonemasons turn to producing images of the
orthodox 'Hindu' deities". This view is, however, not shared by other scholars. Trudy King et al.
state that stone images of reverential figures and guardian spirits (yaksha) were first produced in
Jainism and Hinduism, by about 2 century BCE, as suggested by Mathura region excavations,
and this knowledge grew into iconographic traditions and stone monuments in India including
those for Buddhism.
Role in Worship:

A murti of mother goddess Matrika, from Rajasthan 6th century CE.

Major Hindu traditions such as Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartaism favour the use

of murti. These traditions suggest that it is easier to dedicate time and focus
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
on spirituality through anthropomorphic or non-anthropomorphic icons. Hindu scriptures such as
the Bhagavad Gita, states in verse 12.5,
It is much more difficult to focus on God as the unmanifested than God with form, due to human
beings having the need to perceive via the senses.
In Hinduism, states Jeaneane Fowler, a murti itself is not god, it is an "image of god" and thus a
symbol and representation. A murti is a form and manifestation, states Fowler, of the formless
Absolute. Thus a literal translation of murti as 'idol' is incorrect, when idol is understood as
superstitious end in itself. Just like the photograph of a person is not the real person, a murti is an
image in Hinduism but not the real thing, but in both cases the image reminds of something of
emotional and real value to the viewer. When a person worships a murti, it is assumed to be a
manifestation of the essence or spirit of the deity, the worshipper's spiritual ideas and needs are
meditated through it, yet the idea of ultimate reality or Brahman is not confined in it.

Devotional (bhakti movement) practices centred on cultivating a deep and personal bond of love
with God, often expressed and facilitated with one or more murti, and includes individual or
community hymns, japa or singing (bhajan, kirtan or aarti). Acts of devotion, in major temples
particularly, are structured on treating the murti as the manifestation of a revered guest, and the
daily routine can include awakening the murti in the morning and making sure that it "is washed,
dressed, and garlanded.  In Vaishnavism, the building of a temple for the murti is considered an
act of devotion, but non-murti symbolism is also common wherein the aromatic Tulsi plant
or Saligrama is an aniconic reminder of the spiritualism in Vishnu. These puja rituals with the
murti correspond to ancient cultural practices for a beloved guest, and the murti is welcomed,
taken care of, and then requested to retire.
Christopher John Fuller states that an image in Hinduism cannot be equated with a deity and the
object of worship is the divine whose power is inside the image, and the image is not the object
of worship itself, Hindus believe everything is worthy of worship as it contains divine energy
emanating from the one god. According to the Agamas, the bimba murti (स्थूलमूर्ति / बिम्बमूर्ति) is
different from the mantra murti (मन्त्रमूर्ति) from the perspective of rituals, gestures, hymns and
offerings.
Some Hindu denominations like Arya Samaj and Satya Mahima Dharma reject idol worship.
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
Ancient Indian texts assert the significance of murti in spiritual terms. The Vāstusūtra Upaniṣad,
whose palm-leaf manuscripts were discovered in the 1970s among remote villages of Orissa –
four in Oriya language and one in crude Sanskrit, asserts that the doctrine of murti art making is
founded on the principles of origin and evolution of universe, is a "form of every form of cosmic
creator" that empirically exists in nature, and it functions to inspire a devotee towards
contemplating the Ultimate Supreme Principle (Brahman). This text, whose composition date is
unknown but probably from late 1st millennium CE, discusses the significance of images as,
state Alice Boner and others, "inspiring, elevating and purifying influence" on the viewer and
"means of communicating a vision of supreme truth and for giving a taste of the infinite that lies
beyond".It adds (abridged):

From the contemplation of images grows delight, from delight faith, from faith steadfast
devotion, through such devotion arises that higher understanding (parāvidyā) that is the royal
road to  moksha. Without the guidance of images, the mind of the devotee may go astray and
form wrong imaginations. Images dispel false imaginations. (... ) It is in the mind
of Rishis (sages), who see and have the power of discerning the essence of all created things
of manifested forms. They see their different characters, the divine and the demoniac, the
creative and the destructive forces, in their eternal interplay. It is this vision of Rishis, of
gigantic drama of cosmic powers in eternal conflict, which the Sthapakas (Silpins, murti and
temple artists) drew the subject-matter for their work.
— Pippalada, Vāstusūtra Upaniṣad, Introduction by Alice Boner et al.

In the fifth chapter of Vāstusūtra Upaniṣad, Pippalada asserts, "from tattva-rupa (essence of a

form, underlying principle) come the pratirupani (images)". In the sixth chapter, Pippalada
repeats his message that the artist portrays the particular and universal concepts, with the
statement "the work of the Sthapaka is a creation similar to that of the Prajapati" (that which
created the universe).[75] Non-theistic Jaina scholars such as Jnansundar, states John Cort, have
argued the significance of murti along the same lines, asserting that "no matter what the field –
scientific, commercial, religious – there can be no knowledge without an icon", images are part
of how human beings learn and focus their thoughts, icons are necessary and inseparable from
spiritual endeavours in Jainism.
While murti are an easily and commonly visible aspect of Hinduism, they are not necessary to
Hindu worship. Among Hindus, states Gopinath Rao, one who has realised Self (Soul, Atman)
and the Universal Principle (Brahman, god) within himself, there is no need for any temple or
 Dr UDAY DOKAAS
divine image for worship. Those who have yet to reach this height of realisation, various
symbolic manifestations through images, idols and icons as well as mental modes of worship are
offered as one of the spiritual paths in the Hindu way of life. This belief is repeated in ancient
Hindu scriptures. For example, the Jabaladarshana Upanishad states: