[INDOLOGY] Symbology of Om

[rajam]

For whatever its worth … here’s a picture of the rendition of OM at the top of a temple in Tamilnadu, South India.




Notice that the symbol for M is contained within the symbol for O.

You can find many interesting renditions in Tamilnadu temples. There’s also the belief that the twist of the trunk of ganeśa represents the symbol OM.

Regards,
rajam



> On May 7, 2016, at 8:32 AM, Moore Gerety, Finnian McKean <fmgerety at fas.harvard.edu> wrote:
> 
> Hello Corinna (and colleagues),
> Thank you for posting this query to the list on my behalf. Having studied the early development of OM in Vedic texts and rituals, I am curious to know about the syllable’s further development in epigraphy, manuscripts, and iconography in India and beyond. (Admittedly a broad question!) Apart from one or two articles (for instance Boeles 1947 “The Migration of the Mystic Syllable OṂ.” India Antiqua, J.P. Voegel festschrift, pp. 40-56. Leiden: Brill), there seem to be very few publications on these aspects of the syllable’s history, and so the images, citations and other suggestions forwarded by colleagues thus far are very valuable. Please do keep sending along information as it occurs to you. 
> 
> yours,
> Finnian
> 
> Finnian M.M. Gerety
> Visiting Assistant Professor // Department of Religious Studies, Brown University
> 
> On May 7, 2016, at 9:24 AM, Dominic Goodall <dominic.goodall at gmail.com <mailto:dominic.goodall at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
>> Dear Corinna,
>> 
>> It’s quite common to see a representation of OṂ at the top of inscribed stelae from the Khmer-speaking world in the Angkorean period and also on the headdresses of some sculpted figures.
>> I hope that the image I am attaching will come through; it is a picture of the headdress of a dvārapālaka in the Bangkok National Museum about which the Museum label says: “Guardian. Khmer art, Baphuon style, 11th century A.D. Found at Prasat Muang Tum, Prakonchai District, Burirum Province.” The candra and the śikhā, suggesting, I suppose, Mantramārga influence, are both clearly visible.
>> 
>> But perhaps you are primarily looking for examples from the subcontinental mainland ?
>> 
>> Dominic
>> 
>> <IMG_2785.jpeg>
>> 
>>> On 07-May-2016, at 2:46 PM, Patrick Mccartney <psdmccartney at gmail.com <mailto:psdmccartney at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Dear Corinna, 
>>> 
>>> I came across this image just now on Twitter #ancientindianscience
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Patrick 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my left foot_______________________________________________
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>> 
>> Dominic Goodall
>> École française d'Extrême-Orient,
>> 19, rue Dumas,
>> Pondicherry 605001
>> Tel. +91 413 2334539
>> 
>> 
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