Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c5.24

c5.24

DEVA—Indian art may be said to be a dedication at the feet of the Divine (*Deva*). All the Devas abide in the *Stūpa* and the Temple (*Deva-Griha*). The *Harmikā* on the top of the dome and the cella (*Garbha-griha*) both are alike the seats of the gods (*Deva-sadana*). Forms may differ but the meaning is the same. An array of subsidiary deities (*Vyantara-Devatā*) like Gandharva, Apsaras, Kumbhāṇḍa, Nāga, Yaksha, Nadī-Devatā, Siddha, Vidyādhara etc., stands integrated in each religious pantheon as the differentiated manifestations of an ultimate and supreme Divine Power (*Deva*).