Art in Buddhist Central Asia

Buddhism, founded in India during the 5th century B.C.E., spread far and wide throughout much of Asia. Though today, Buddhism is near-obsolete in India (religious popularity lying with Hinduism), the art that this Classical era religion produced in India, and elsewhere, is remarkable.

The Buddha himself was a man named Siddhartha Gautama. Born as a prince and raised in a life filled with wealth and luxury, it was the Buddha's renunciation of these "earthly pleasures" that allowed him to finally reach Nirvana. The relief to the left depicts the night that Siddhartha left his home at the palace. His wife, Yashodhara, sleeps beside him, and attendants and musicians (demonstrative of his wealth) sleep on the floor. The relief displays incredible detail within both the layered perspective, and the intricacy of the patterns on the clothes of the figures. At the top and on the left, especially, bits of the relief have been destroyed, but because of the beauty of the remaining details, we can assume that those parts, too, were magnificent.


After leaving his palace home, Siddhartha pursued various ways to find enlightenment. The head statue to the right depicts one such path that he ventured down on his journey to Nirvana. As was common for ascetics at the time, Siddhartha meditated for long periods of time without any type of nourishment. The statue shows him on the brink of death; malnourished and gaunt. The hair in the knot on top of his head is a traditional symbol for when the Buddha achieved Nirvana, but it contrasts sharply here with the hollow eyes, caved in cheeks, and thin neck. As seen in the relief above, the detail here is extraordinary, and in this statue, it perfectly captures both mood and the artist's intent to display one of the failed paths on Siddhartha's search for Nirvana.


Once rescued from near death, Siddhartha renounced both wealth and luxury, and deprivation and starvation. He viewed these as the extremes, and vowed to take The Middle Path; the path in between these two extremes that would lead him to Enlightenment. This statue (left), depicts the same subject as the statue above: the Buddha's head. But the contrasts couldn't be more different. Here, the Buddha appears healthy and at peace. Both statues contain the same religious imagery - the dot on his forehead, the topknot - but evoke such different moods in the viewer. The smooth stone used here also provides the Buddha with a smooth, glowing appearance, contributing to the more healthful look. The beautiful detailing serves to reinforce the Buddha's decision to travel down the Middle Path in search of Nirvana; by showing a much more radiant Buddha, the artist conveys the theme that this path was the right decision, not one of starvation (as seen above).

Shown here is a full figure of the Buddha after he has achieved enlightenment. The religious imagery remains the same, and with this full figure, we see evidence of more religious gestures; his raised hand would have been making an abhayamudra, a gesture of reassurance and protection, had the hand not been lost. The style of this sculpture shows influence of Greco-Roman styles, within the facial features, which assume a more Western appearance, and the clothing, which drapes and folds around him in the manner of a toga. As with the previous art, the details remain important; the folds of his clothing are incredibly lifelike, and the face and remaining hand are very realistic.


Like the last artifact, this statue, too, is a full figure of the Buddha. In this statue, the Buddha is portrayed as a teacher; "Soon after his enlightenment, the Buddha traveled to a deer park near the town of Sarnath where he preached his first sermon." He is portrayed here as setting in motion the Wheel of Law - a law in Buddhism that explains the real nature of life and existence (the wheel is also a common visual image and symbol in Buddhism). The message of teaching is also emphasized by the detailed engraving of the bodhisattva, flanked by worshipers/students, beneath the Buddha's seat. This statue appears more classically Asian than the last statue, which demonstrated more Greco-Roman influence. In both, the Buddha wears garments with lots of intricate folds, but seated, they appear less toga-like on him. His manner of sitting, facial structure, and bodily proportions also appear less like classical Greco-Roman sculpture work, and more like the unique art found in Buddhist Central Asia at this time. This image, of the Buddha, seated and teaching, is an image that has been copied and reproduced in a variety of mediums worldwide.

While this statue depicts, like the last one, a seated Buddha, the two differ greatly in style. The former, and all of the above objects, are made of stone, while this one is made of bronze - giving the statue a very different look and feel. One great advantage of these bronze statues was how easily portable they were; much smaller than the stone statues, they could be carried to or from pilgrimages, worshiped in household shrines, or carried in religious processions. Despite the contrast between the styles of this statue and the former statue, the religious imagery still remains the same; dot on the forehead, topknot, and the abhayamudra hand symbol.

To the left is another statue similar in style and structure to the statue three above - but the subject matter is quite different. Depicted here is a Bodhisattva, or one who is on the brink of achieving Nirvana (and becoming a Buddha), but waits in order to help others on the path to enlightenment. Because they are destined to be Buddhas, Bodhisattvas are depicted using many of the same characteristics that the Buddha has, but they are often more heavily adorned. The Bodhisattva at left, for instance, has the topknot, pleated garments, abhayamudra gesture, and "halo" behind his head (shown in two of the past statues), that the Buddha is often shown with. The difference lies in the details; fancier robes (showing great Greco-Roman influence), the plentiful jewelry adorning his neck and head and ears, and the contrast of the Buddha's simple topknot with the Bodhisattva's more elaborate, decorated topknot.

This object, like the last Buddha statue, is also made of Bronze. Originating in China, unlike the other artifacts, which have all sprung from India, Pakistan. or Afghanistan, the style features many different details. Depicted here is Padmapani, the "Lotus-Bearer" Bodhisattva. The fire design in the background and on the robes are influenced by Northern Wei dynasty art, as is the stiffness of the Bodhisattva. The style is very different from any other here. This is likely due to the cultural history of China; while empires like the Indian were open and tolerant of other cultures, China amassed their various peoples under one united cultural tradition. Assimilation was key in China, and thus, even the foreign tradition of Buddhism was molded to fit the Chinese ideal. Small objects such as these were easy to carry, and were crucial in helping the spread of Buddhism from India to places like China.

The circular panel to the left is from a railing crossbar at the Great Stupa (Buddhist religious memorial) of Amavarati. The scene depicted here seems to refer to when one third of the Buddha's relics were given to the nagas (serpents). The relic casket sits in the middle of the disc, with the serpent king standing directly behind it. All around are attendants and the beautiful, legendary inhabitants of the serpent world. The artwork is reminiscent of Hindu art, especially the depiction of the serpent king; he looks as if he could be a Hindu god. The details are numerous and intricate, though the viewer's eye is drawn immediately to the relic casket in the middle - a visual reprieve from the business of so many detailed, carved people.


This reliquary, found in modern Afghanistan, was said to contain the bones of the Buddha. Though no bones were found in it, the reliquary remains of great artistic significance. It is the best preserved example of goldsmith work from this era in Indian civilization, and it is dated to a time that makes its Buddha imagery even more significant; a time when the image of the Buddha in art was being developed. Facing front in the picture is a Buddha, making the standard abhayamudra gesture, flanked by two figures making hand gestures signifying prayer and reverence.

Sources

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