SACRED IMAGES
Brahmanic ritual handbooks mention two important types of images - the achala or immovable and the chala or movable. Generally, the central stone images installed in temples belong to the former class and the smaller metal ones belong to the class of movable images which are used for everyday temple rituals or household worship. Ritual handbooks forbade the worship of stone, due to which bronze icons came into existence.

The picturization of Buddha, came about only after the Christian era. Until then, Buddha was symbolised only through symbolgy like his feet, doctrines or stories.

Most iconography belongs to the entire continuum of different currents of culture looking to express their devotion.