Min Bahadur Shakya
Buddha, the light of ten-thousand world system, was born in the land of Nepal in Lumbini grove about 300km the south west of Kathmandu around sixth century BC as prince.
To rescue the mankind from the suffering and misery, he left the luxury of the palace at Kapilavastu identified as Tilaurakot in west-Nepal, meditated and finally was enlightened perfectly in Bodhgaya, India. He delivered his first turning of wheel of dharma at Sarnath.
His simple teachings, the philosophy of Four Noble Truths have attracted millions of people from the same time.
The Nepalese accepted it with great respect, veneration and enthusiasm. Nepalese Buddhist witnessed both the phases of Buddhism Theravada and Mahayana. The Mahayana school introduced many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Taras, and myriads of divinities and their scriptures were composed in Sanskrit language.
Buddhism is deeply rooted in the mind of Nepalese people from the lowland Terai to Highland Himalayan range and crossed its boundary and spread all over Asia and became one of the prominent religion of Nepal. It influenced daily life with profuse use of art objects in life cycle rituals as well as in monastic life. Here we have thousands of Buddhist scriptures with miniature, paintings; painted scrolls, cast copper and bronze images, stone sculptures, votive chaityas, stupas for worship and veneration. The Buddhist Newars provided a touch of Buddhism in household objects starting from spinning wheel to the daily ritual objects.
The tradition of stone sculptures date back more than two thousand years in Nepal but the greatest masterpiece date from the fifth, sixth, seventh centuries of our era.
The arts have taken a distinct place in Nepal particularly in the valley from the ancient times. Nepal has her own history of art. Nepalese art originated from second century
To provide a glimpse of the Buddhist art of the Kingdom of Nepal, we have divided into three sections: The paper focuses on sculptures found in Kathmandu valley and in Lumbini/Kapilavastu Terai regions of Nepal during the period mentioned.
1. The birthplace of Lord Buddha
It was in the Southwestern side of Nepalese Terai, Gautama the Buddha was born in Lumbini grove in sixth century, B.C. Buddha spent twenty-nine years of his life in Kapilavastu, the capital of Shakya kingdom before he renounced the world. All the activities of Buddha were centered in northern India and Nepal. Many Buddhist sites have been discovered, studied and excavated to some extent. Buddhist sites like Lumbini, Kapilavastu, Sagarhawa, Araurakot, Sishaniya, Niglihawa and Gotihawa have yielded hundreds of art object, Buddhist art, painted greyware, black polished ware, redware potteries, silver punch marked coins, relic casket of gold and many examples of Buddhist architecture.
A number of terracotta images and carved stone fragments dating from 3rd century B.C to fifth century discovered in Lumbini and Tilaurakot (Kapilavastu) are worth mentioning.
Pilgrimage made by Asoka to Lumbini has been recorded in Lumbini Pillar inscription,Divyavadana and Ashokavadana.
The monuments erected by Emperor Asoka at Lumbini included a huge temple, monasteries, several stupas and monolithic inscribed pillar.
When Seng-tsai, Yueh-chi monk, visited the place around 300-325, he found there the Nativity (asoka tree, a statue of lapislazuli depicting Buddha's Nativity scene and the marks of seven footsteps of the Buddha, enclosed and covered by lapis lazuli slabs.
A recent excavation in Lumbini and Tilaurakot has yielded
Some antiquities from Lumbini:
1. The Nativity sculpture depicting the birth scene of the Buddha, also made of Mathura red sandstone in the early Gupta period (300-325.AD.),
2. A Mathura red Sandstone Buddha-head of the Buddha head of the Kushan art school (100-200AD)
3. A Buddha figure in black stone and a terracotta figure depicting the bed scene of Siddharth and Yashodhara were also excavated from the temple.
4. A Maurya figure from Tilaurakot (300BC)
5. Mother and child from Tilaurakot (200-100BC)
6. A Maurya Terrakot figure from Tilaurakot
7. Terrakot Bodhisattva from Lumbini
8. Terracotta Dharmacakra from Lumbini
9. Padmashree figures from Tilaurakot
2. Sculptures from Kathmandu Valley:
The Lichchavis appeared in the political horizon of Nepal in the beginning of the Christian era. But we do not find a systematic history of art belonging to this period. A number of Nepalese sculpture predating the Lichchavi period ( 464-879AD) have come to light their stylistic affinity is close to the Kushana art of India.
Before the appearance of Buddha images, our research has established local folk cult of Yaksa is prevalent in Kathmandu valley
The earliest stone sculpture discovered in Kathmandu is a headless torso; perhaps a yaksha was found at Harigaon and now preserved in National museum.
It is dated 1st or 2nd century AD
List of early sculptures:
1 (headless torso) at National museum
The Royal personage and headless torso from National museum are of no less important in its features.
2 (royal personage) at National museum
3. (virupaksa) at Aryaghat, Pashupati
A standing figure of Virupaksa beside the Bagmati River on Aryaghat at Pasupati is supposed to be from 4th- century A.D.The sculpture is quite interesting because of its pronounced mongoloid facial features.
From the history of Buddhist art in India, it is known that Gandhara and Mathura was the centers of Buddhist art and images. The art of Gandhara was much influenced by Greco-Roman style, whereas Mathura style remained purely Indian.
Countless images of the Buddha, Bodhisattva, Tara and other divinities were carved during the Kushana and Gupta periods. In spite of the fact that the large number of Buddhist monasteries are mentioned in the lichchavi inscriptions of Nepal, on the contrary virtually no images of Buddha or Bodhisattva images of early Christian era are found. A further investigation or exploration is an utmost necessity.
The history of the period of Manadeva not only provides us a solid basis of the historical perspective of the Nepalese history, but so far as art history is concerned it is from this period onwards we find more or less a continuous history of art and culture of Nepal. In fact the art of the Lichchavi period became the nucleus for the development of later art tradition of Nepal.
In the Lichchavi period, most of the Buddha images are shown either standing or sitting, with his head covered with tiny curls, a hump or raised spiral locks of hair on the top of the head, elongated earlobes and a broad chest as mentioned in the 32 characteristic marks and 80 minor marks of the Buddha. The standing Buddha is represented holding the ends of his robe in his left hand and the right hand held in varadamudra, the gesture of munificence.
The sitting Buddha is depicted in cross-legged position in meditation with the gaze fixed on the tip of the nose with half-closed eyes. In his meditation, his hands either rest on the lap or the right hand is held in the gesture of touching the earth. A number of standing Buddhas are found in the Kathmandu valley, mostly in Patan and Kathmandu. Some of the specimens are mentioned below:
4 Standing Buddha Chabahil-5th century
One of the early standing Buddha images, dated 5th century A.D. was from Chabahil.It was stolen in 1985.The Buddha was represented standing on a simple flat dias with broad and massive shoulders. The treatment and modeling are heavy and ponderous, but it is carved in such a way that the nude torso is clearly visible through the diaphanous robe.
5 Seated Buddha-6th century
There was a beautiful image of Seated Buddha at Kotibahi Chaitya situated in the north east of Kumbhesvara Temple, Patan. It was seated on a full-blown lotus in yogic posture. His right hand was raised in abhayamudra., the gesture of fearlessness, while his left hand rested on his lap.The round and smooth face of the Buddha was characteristic of the early images of Nepal ( See Bangdel, L: Stolen Images....}
6 Bodhisattva Padmapani at Ganabahal (550 A.D)
7 Standing Buddha at Ramshah Path, 7th century
8 Buddha flanked by Bodhisattvas ( Guita Bahi, Patan 6th century)
9 Standing Buddha at Yampivihara, Patan, 6th century
10 Standing Buddha at Bangemudha, Kathmandu 5th century
11Caturvyuha Chaitya at Svayambhu dated 4th century
12. Maitreya Buddha at Svayambhu dated 5th-6th century
A standing Buddha sculpture of Rajarajeshvarighat, Pasupati dating 5th century is clearly demonstrates the influence on Nepali sculpture of the period from Mathura and Central India.
13. A fragment of Mara's Temptation of Buddha (6th century)
14.A monolothic Stupa from Mahakal sthan, Tundikhel, Kathmandu circa 5th century
15. The Monolithic Stupa of Bhagvan bahal, Thanbahi, circa 6-7 century
16.The Chaitya at Dhvakabaha, 7th century
17.A beautiful monolithic Chaitya from Teku, Kathmandu circa 5th-6th century
18.Decorated chaityas with Buddhas on them from 7th centuries, Thanbahi, Kathmandu
Conclusion:
Through the study of these sculptures we can conclude that all forms of Indian art were transmitted to Nepal and Nepalese Sculptors in turn created their own art forms establishing indigenous artistic identity.
Apart from standing and seated Buddhas, the cult of Bodhisattva Padmapani is extremely popular in Nepal.
Padmapani image dated 550 A.D of Ganabaha (no 6) is most remarkable one.
There are a large number of images of Padmapani , Bodhisattva of Great Compassion.
He is popular not only in images but also in literature such as Gunakarandavyuha, Karandavyuha, Saddharmapundarika and so forth.
The purpose of present paper is just to give a brief outline of extent of stone sculptures and there are yet more to be explored. Since most of these sculptures are being stolen by unknown collectors. There has been a general tendency of keeping suspicious eyes on the researchers. Thus further research has been made difficult to explore them. The scholars are requested to inform if these unique sculptures can be recovered from any part of this world.
