deities

Examples of deities in the following topics:

• Humans and Their Deities

  • Some religions have one supreme deity, others have multiple deities of various ranks.
  • Deities are depicted in a variety of forms, but are also frequently expressed in religious art as having human form, although some faiths and traditions consider it blasphemous to imagine or depict the deity as having any concrete form.
  • For example, human burials between 50,000 and 30,000 BCE provide evidence of human belief in an afterlife and possibly in deities, although it is not clear when human belief in deities became the dominant view.
  • Monotheistic deities are often thought of as being omnipresent though invisible.
  • In polytheism, deities are conceived of as a counterpart to humans: humans are defined by their station subject to the deities, nourishing them with prayers or sacrifices, and deities are defined by their sovereignty over humans, punishing and rewarding them, but also depending on their worship.

• Temple Style of the South

  • A characteristic of most temples is the presence of murtis (statues) of the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated.
  • They are usually dedicated to one primary deity, the presiding deity, and other deities associated with the main deity.
  • However, some temples are dedicated to several deities, and others are dedicated to murtis in an iconic form.
  • Apart from the main fixed stone deities, processional deities made of panchaloha (an alloy of gold, silver, copper, zinc and tin) are bathed, dressed, decorated with valuables, and taken out in processions for festivals throughout the year.

• Hindu Sculpture

  • Hindu sculpture represents the themes of its religion through its depiction of deities and recurring symbols, such as the lotus flower.
  • These deities are often portrayed with multiple limbs and heads, demonstrating the extent of the god's power and ability.
  • Many deities have their name based on the Sanskrit word for lotus, such as Lakshimi.
  • Sculpture is inextricably linked with architecture in Hindu temples, which are usually devoted to a number of different deities.
  • The deity is depicted as having multiple arms, as is common for idols of Hindu gods.

• Temple Style of the North

  • It also contains the garbha graha, or womb-chamber, in which a particular idol or deity is housed, in a process that is called circumambulation.
  • However, in such cases, deities are not adorned with valuable jewelry.
  • These visions are either of a deity, a very holy person, or an artifact.
  • An individual can "receive" darsana, or the blessing of a particular deity, within the temple, or from a saintly person, such as a great guru.
  • It also contains the garbha graha, or womb-chamber, in which the idol or deity is housed, in a process that is called circumambulation,

• Southern Style Temples in Southeast Asia

  • A characteristic of most temples is the presence of murtis (statues) of the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated.
  • They are usually dedicated to one primary deity, the presiding deity, and other deities associated with the main deity.
  • However, some temples are dedicated to several deities, and others are dedicated to murtis in an iconic form.
  • Apart from the main fixed stone deities, processional deities made of panchaloha (an alloy of gold, silver, copper, zinc, and tin) are bathed, dressed, decorated with valuables, and taken out in processions for festivals throughout the year.

• Polytheism

  • Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals.
  • Polytheism is the worship or belief in multiple deities usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals.
  • The deities of polytheism are often portrayed as complex personages of greater or lesser status, with individual skills, needs, desires, and histories.
  • Deities first worshiped as the patrons of cities or places came to be collected together as empires extended over larger territories.
  • Many cities who worshiped one particular deity often featured a large temple or shrine in the city center.

• Northern Style Temples in Southeast Asia

  • In many cases, all castes and categories of people are permitted to enter the innermost sanctum of these temples and worship the deity personally.
  • However, in such cases, deities are not adorned with valuable jewelry.
  • These visions are either of a deity, a very holy person, or an artifact.
  • An individual can "receive" darsana, or the blessing of a particular deity, within the temple, or from a saintly person, such as a great guru.
  • It also contains the garbha graha, or womb-chamber, in which the idol or deity is housed, in a process that is called circumambulation,

• Champa Art in Early Vietnam

  • Temple complexes usually consisted of several parts: the kalan or sanctuary, usually in the form of a tower and used to house the deity; the mandapa or entry hallway; the kosagrha or fire-house, used to house the temple's valuables and to cook for the deity; and the gopura or gate-tower leading into the walled templed complex.
  • The subject matter was mostly drawn from the legends and religious traditions of India, and the sculptures feature Hindu and Buddhist deities, such as Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti (the divine feminine creative power in Hinduism), and Avalokiteshwara (the bodhisattva of compassion).
  • These include statues of Mahayana Buddhist deities such as Avalokiteshwara and Tara (a Buddhist female meditation deity), and bear a strong resemblance to the Indian Buddhist style of Amaravati.

• Egyptian Pharaohs as God-Kings

  • The Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be incarnations of the god Horus, the son of the sun deity, Hathor (or, later, Isis), or Nut.
  • Throughout ancient Egyptian history, the Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be incarnations of the god Horus, derived by being the son of the sun deity, Hathor (or later, Isis), or the sky deity, Nut.

• Monotheism

  • Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one god or in the oneness of God, in contrast to polytheism, the belief in several deities.
  • Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one god or in the oneness of God, in contrast to polytheism, the belief in several deities.
  • Furthermore, in monotheistic religious art, God, or the Supreme Deity, is often presented with multiple forms or, in the Christian case, is understood to be part of a Divine Trinity.
  • Both archaeological evidence and Biblical texts document tensions between groups comfortable with the worship of Yahweh, or God, alongside local deities such as Asherah and Baal, and those insistent on the worship of Yahweh alone.