The Development of Hindu Iconography c10.31.2

c10.31.2

Then, there are various sacred stones scattered over different parts of India, which are taken to stand for one or other of the cult divinities. It has been shown that rude stone monuments consisting of menhirs, dolmens, cairns, and cromlechs distributed over parts of Europe, Western Asia and India are essentially sepulchral in character.² The Indian phalli, especially their early specimens, portray this feature to a very great extent. Many instances are known, in India of ancient and modern times, of stones being regarded as aniconic representations of the cult-deities. The well-known Śākta tradition about the severed limbs of Satī falling in different parts of India and about the latter being regarded as so many pīṭhasthānas, particularly sacred to the Śakti-worshippers, should be noted in this connection. In modern times, the most important objects of worship in many of these shrines are usually stone blocks covered over with red cloth, which are described as this or that limb of the goddess. It is interesting to observe here that Hiuen Thsang records in his *Si-yu-ki* some useful details about a great mountain in ancient Gandhāra, ‘which had a likeness (or image) of Maheśvara’s spouse Bhīmā-devī of dark-blue stone. According to local accounts this was a natural image of the goddess; it was a great resort of devotees from all parts of India.