Early Buddhist Sculpture at Kurkihar: Images of Bodhisattvas and Taras, Akshayanivi, Essays presented to Dr. Debala Mitra in admiration of her scholarly contributions, ed. G. BHATTACHARYA, Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1991, pp. 299-306 (original) (raw)
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TWELVE-ARMED AVALOKITESVARA: SOME ICONOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS
OUR HERITAGE Bulletin of the Department and Research Government Sanskrit College, Kolkata of Post- Graduate Training, 2015
Avalokite[vara or Loke[vara, the second Boddhisattya in the Buddhist iconographic texts is by far the most popular deity of an evolving Buddhist pantheon. The popularity of Avalokite[vara is evident in the Sadhanam la having as many as thirty-eight s dhanas which describes some fifteen forms of the deity.' A large corpus of Avalokite[vara images being differentiated in various forms constitute the Pala-Sena schools of art reported from different ateliers of Bengal (West Bengal & Bangladesh) and Bihar. It is admitted that the sculptural art of the region be it Buddhism, Brahmanism or Jainism is basically religious. Claudine Bautze Picron rightly observes that "the iconographic history of the art of eastern India is complex but illustrates well the religious richness of the period in this region". The present paper is an endeavor to understand the iconology and iconographic composition of two twelve-arm d stone images of Avalokite[vara from Bihar, now in the archaeological section of the Indian Museum, Kolkata. The
Kalā The Journal of Indian Art History Congress, Vol. XIX, 2013
Avalokite[vara or Loke[vara, the second Bodhisattva mentioned in the Buddhist iconograhic texts is by far the most popular deity of an evolving Buddhist pantheon. A large number of Avalokite[vara images being differentiated in various forms constitute the P la-Sena Schools of Art (8th-12th centuries CE), because majority of the sculptures are found in ateliers of Bihar and Bengal (West Bengal and Bangladesh).The two-armed and four-armed images of Avalokite[vara from Bengal and Bihar have been studied extensively by scholars.! The present paper is, therefore, an endeavor t o understand the iconology and iconographic composition of two six-armed stone images at Avalokite[vara from Bihar, now in the Reserve Collection of the Indian Museum. Kolkata. The sK armed form of Avalokite[vara is rarely depicted in Indian art.2 In fact, the most important compenaa on Buddhist Iconography the S dhanamäl and the Nispannayog vali does not describe this form. * Department of Ancient Indian & World History, Sanskrit Col l ege, Kol kat a. .The image under study is from Kurkihar, Gaya district of Bihal.
The stone images recovered at Kurkihär have not so far been dated prior to the 9th c.r Dating remains in a general way problematic and does not often result from a precise analysis, i.e. with reference to securely dated material, but reflects rather, the author's feelings as can be seen from the various dates proposed for each of the images.2 The study of the production at Kurkihär until now was based on a selection of the images3 without an explanation of the criteria which determined the selection. Thus, a systematic survey of the material has not yet been done-as is also the case for other archaeological sites of the area. Our approach differs inasmuch as it does not select some images and reject others. Since the production is ahundantn a careful study of the whole corpus lies beyond the limits of the present article. Criteria must be introduced which help to classify the material. Such a classification results in the constitution of limited groups which can be more easily considered. The two criteria of stylistic evolution (and its chronology) and of iconography have been used.
Descriptions of Selected Sculptures
Eran Sagar), Madhya Pradesh c. 2nd century A.D. Sandstone 71 x 68 cm Cat. No. 34 (R. 336) Eran-the ancient town of 'Erakaṇa' or 'Erakaṇya'-is situated on the left bank of the River Bina, about 25kms from the mouth of the River Betwa. The temples and other remains on the site originate from the time of Samudragupta (335-375 A.D.) and Budhagupta (476-495 A.D.) who erected their inscriptions there. However, the coins found on the site attest to the existence of a settlement there centuries before the Guptas. The recovery of this sculpted male torso supplies further evidence of Eran already being a religious and artistic centre in the early centuries of our era. Although the head, right hand and feet are broken, the notion of power and strength is conveyed in its robust figure and heavy limbs, and the sculpture has the characteristic features of early art; it is reminiscent of the colossal Yakṣa statues produced since Maurya times. These were not only the early manifestations of folk religion but served as models for later Buddhist and Hindu icons, including Nāga sculptures. 1 The figure stands erect with weight on both legs, although the bust shows a slight curve that may very faintly point towards the bent poses of later art. The sculpture
Some Aspects of the Iconography of Avalokiteshvara in "Pâla-Sena" Stone Sculpture
South Asian Archaeology 1985, Papers from the Eighth International Conference of South Asian Archaeologists in Western Europe, held at Moesgaard Museum, Denmark, 1-5 July 1985, ed. K. FRIFELT and P. SØRENSEN, Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies, Occasional Papers, 4, London: Curzon Press, The Riverdale Company, 1989, pp. 327-349.