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Buddhist Art

Buddhism or Buddhist Art is a religious belief that is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince, who was born in Nepal. He is popularly known as Buddha, after he attained enlightenment. He preached that one has to eliminate the cravings of life, which will help to attain Nirvana, a stage where there is no suffering. Central goal of Buddhism which is depicted through Buddhist Art, is the abandonment of desire along with realization of non attachment. As art is a popular ancient form of representation of the teachings, there are a number of Buddhist sculptures and picture representations available all over the world, that stress on this basic preachings of Buddhism.

In the year 2000, Talibans of Afghanistan destroyed several rock carvings of Buddha, which could be dated back to the time before the arrival of Muslims in the region. These statues were benchmarks of excellent craftsmanship of the ancient sculptors. Two of the notable mentions can be dated back to 5th century and 3rd Century. One of them was 37 meters tall and the other one 53 meters in height. These priceless ancient relics were perfect examples of Greco Buddhist style of art. Once upon a time, thousands of monks used to live in the caves, just next to these statues.

Out of the popular sculptures reflecting Buddhist Art, one of the noteworthy mention is a statue of Standing Buddha, found at Mathura in uttar Pradesh. It dates back to 5th Century, when this region was under the rulers of Gupta Dynasty. This statue is made up of mottled red sandstone, which is about 85.5 cms in height and 42.5 cms in width.

Another popular Buddhist Art that was evident at Katra Mountains in Uttar Pradesh, was a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, which represent the craftsmanship of 1st or 2nd Century. Made up of mottled red sandstone, it is now graces Worcester Art Museum in Manchester. This typical Buddha figure has long ears, round mark in between the eyes, cranial bump, halo and the right hand raised with a gesture of reassurance. This statue in cross legged Lotus position, reflects repose and spirituality, which is really appropriate to Buddha.

In order to know about other forms of Buddhist Sculpture, simply continue browsing the related articles of Buddhistsculptures.com. You will get to know about Buddhist ornaments and popular Buddhist statues, too.