crowned Buddha Śākyamuni
Dictionary Definition ：
Definition[1]
：
| Description | One of the longest lasting and most important Buddhist cultures of India developed and flourished in eastern India from the 8th to the 12th centuries. During this period, Bihar and Bengal--present-day West Bengal state and the nation of Bangladesh--were primarily under the control of the Pala family. However, various other families, in particular the Senas, also controlled smaller sections of this region at different times. Monks from all over Asia traveled to eastern India to study Buddhism at the famous monasteries there. As a result, the influence of Pala-style art spread throughout Asia. Pala contributions to Buddhist art include the development of a new figural type, which was loosely based on prototypes developed during the Gupta period (c. 320-c. 500) in north and north-central India, and the evolution of a more complicated iconography that illustrates contemporary changes in Buddhist thought.The long bodies with well-defined waists and long, thin facial features seen in this stone relief exemplify the style of Pala sculpture in the 11th century. The relief illustrates the moment before Śākyamuni's enlightenment, when the meditating Buddha-to-be was attacked by the demon Mara and his evil forces who challenged his right to seek enlightenment. In response, Śākyamuni reached down to touch the ground, calling upon the earth to validate his quest, a gesture depicted in this sculpture. Steles such as this are found in niches in architectural monuments or shrines.Eleventh-century Pala art is distinguished by an interest in detail and greater iconographic complexity. Here the central Śākyamuni Buddha figure is seated on an elaborate throne. His right hand makes the earth-touching gesture (bhūmisparsha mūdra), while his left is held in the gesture of meditation (dhyānamūdra). Around him are arrayed four smaller buddha images. Each of these five major figures has a nimbus with a decorated border encircling his head or body. In addition to two branches of the pipal tree (Ficus religiosa), under which he achieved enlightenment, Śākyamuni has a canopy above his head. The earth goddess and a male donor are depicted on the pedestal, and the Buddhist consecratory formula is inscribed along its base.The crouching lions on the base symbolize the Buddha's role as an earthly ruler or king, as well as the process of enlightenment, which is sometimes described as a lion's roar. The Buddha wears a crown and jewelry, adornments that first appear in Pala-period sculptures dating to the 11th century. The importance of crowns in the representation of Śākyamuni and other buddhas has been linked to the development of the esoteric branch of Buddhism, which stresses the importance of rites and ceremonies in the quest for enlightenment.Each of the surrounding buddhas represents an episode in the life of Śākyamuni, identifiable by subtle variations in their posture and gesture, and the objects held in their hands. Moving clockwise from the lower left are Śākyamuni's descentfrom the Heaven of Thirty-three Gods, which he visited to preach to his mother; the first sermon; the story of a monkey's offering of honey to the Buddha; and the taming of the mad elephant Nalagiri sent by his evil cousin to kill him. The figures are four of a standardized group of scenes called the Eight Great Events. These events can be interpreted as both historical records and as paradigms for the process of enlightenment. For example, the taming of the elephant can be understood as a symbol of the mastery of certain aspects of the self that must be disciplined. |
| Creator | Eastern Indian, Asian, Indian Sub-Continent, Indian, Eastern Indian |
| Museum | Asia Society Museum, New York, New York, USA. 1979.036 Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection |
| Beginning Date | 1000 |
| Ending Date | 1099 |
| Date | Pala period, 11th century |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Format (Medium) | Schist |
| Format (Extent) | H. 27 3/4 in. (70.5 cm) |
| Identifier | CAMIO: ASIA.1979.036 |
| Coverage | India, Bihar |
| Rights | Licensed for non-commercial, educational use. http://www.asiasociety.org/ |
Definition[2]
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| Description | The thick, heavily pleated garments worn by this Buddha seated in the center of this elaborate work derive from sculptural traditions that predominated in northwest India during the 2nd to 4th centuries. The Buddha, his hands in the gesture of turning the wheel of the law (dharmachakra), or preaching (dharmachakramūdra), is seated on a lotus that rises from a pond inhabited by serpent deities known as nagas. A stūpa with a long staircase that leads to a Buddha seated before a niche is on either side, supported on a lotus flower rising from the central stalk. Layered to resemble a rocky mountain ledge, the base of the sculpture has images of a wheel, two guardians, and two deer; the deer help to identify the primary image as Śākyamuni, since their presence in Indian Buddhist art often refers to the Buddha's first sermon at the Deer Park in Sarnath.On the right and left of the base are images of donors and their attendants, whose costume is reminiscent of Turkic dress, members of the Sahi group who ruled in Kashmir and other northern regions. A long Sanskrit inscription on the front of the base lists the donors as Sankarasena, a government official, and Princess Devashriya: 'This is the pious gift of the devout Sankarasena, the great lord of the elephant brigade, and of the pure-minded and pious Devashriya, made in the second day of Vaishakha in the year 3.' Although the numbers in this inscription are difficult to decipher, a recent study of inscriptions from Kashmir has shown that the sculpture could date to either 714/15 or 733/34.The distinctive costume worn by the Buddha indicates that the sculpture depicts the consecration (abhisheka) of Śākyamuni as the king of the Tushita Pure Land, the abode of all the buddhas before their final rebirth on earth. The five-pointed crown, the three-pointed cape tied at the back with two strings, and the unusual floral decorations on the Buddha's shoulder have been identified as the primary elements in the iconography of this scene. The development of this iconography and its emphasis on Śākyamuni's consecration in the Tushita Pure Land have been linked to the rise of the Lokottaravadins, a subsect of the Mahasamghikas influential in the development of Mahayana Buddhism. Unlike earlier sects that defined the Buddha as a historical person who had achieved enlightenment, the Mahasamghikas speculated more broadly on the nature of the Buddha, defining him as a supermundane being (lokottara) of unlimited power and longevity. Relying on the Mahavastu, a text compiled from the 1st to 4th centuries, the Mahasamghikas developed a new interpretation of the path to buddhahood that stressed each person's inherent ability to become a buddha. According to this text, each potential buddha passes through ten stages known as bhūmis during his spiritual career. In the last of these stages, the prospective buddha resides in the Tushita Pure Land to await his rebirth on earth. |
| Creator | Kashmiri or Pakistani, Asian, Indian Sub-Continent, Indian, Kashmiri, Asian, Indian Sub-Continent, Pakistani, Kashmiri |
| Museum | Asia Society Museum, New York, New York, USA. 1979.044 Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection |
| Beginning Date | 0700 |
| Ending Date | 0799 |
| Date | 8th century |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Format (Medium) | Brass with inlays of copper, silver, and zinc |
| Format (Extent) | H. 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm) |
| Identifier | CAMIO: ASIA.1979.044 |
| Coverage | Kashmir or northern Pakistan |
| Rights | Licensed for non-commercial, educational use. http://www.asiasociety.org/ |
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