Paper long abstract:

Hindus conceive simultaneously of their gods as one and as many. While it is generally acknowledged that the god Shiva, for instance, is a singular concept that transcends human understanding, Shiva is nevertheless emplaced and made manifest in a multitude of temples in each of which he has a distinct identity and story. Worshippers relate intimately to an emplaced god, but this does not prevent their seeking out the god in other places and other forms. This paper seeks to explore the simultaneous transcendence and immanence, singularity and multiplicity of the gods through the Deleuzian concepts of difference and repetition and connection and forgetting. It brings Deleuze in conversation with empirical research in contemporary south India.