Discourses on ?iva is a collection of essays on the nature of religious imagery
in Indian art. Focusing on ?aivite monuments, ?aivite iconography, iconology,
literary sources, and forms of ?iva, they fulfill several intentions: to clarify
the historical processes of and rationales for image formation in India; to give
an overview of current methodologies for approaching art in its Indian context,
particularly of the ways in which scholars have established subtle as well as
obvious links between visual and written traditions; and to create a foundation
for viewing religious art in India in relation to more "literary" artistic
traditions elsewhere.