See Richard H. Davis, Lives of Indian Images, p. 251, where a legal quarrel is described between a western art collector and Siva. "In his decision Kennedy ruled that Siva, embodied in the linga at Visvanathasvami temple, as a juristic person embodying
the temple founder's pious intention, did have a claim to the Nataraja image superior to that of Bumper's [the western collector] claim.
[...]
The divine person Siva could not appear in an English court, since Supreme Beings are precluded. However, as Hindus well know, Siva has always been adept at assuming other forms and strategic manifestations to carry out his purposes on earth, and in this
case it would seem he adopted the relatively subtle incarnation of a juristic personality as a way of regaining the Pathur Nataraja image."
Best, Herman Tieken
Herman Tieken
Stationsweg 58
2515 BP Den Haag
The Netherlands
Van: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces@list.indology.info] namens Jonathan Silk [kauzeya@gmail.com]
Verzonden: maandag 8 februari 2016 21:14
Aan: Indology
Onderwerp: [INDOLOGY] hard to know what to title this one