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During the 5th century BC, India witnessed the birth and evolution of a new religion- Buddhism. It was founded by the young prince of Gautama Buddha. The religion not only became one of the important religions of the land of its origins. Rather, it also spread to South and South East Asia.
In fact, Buddhism also spread to Tibet and Sri Lanka. The spread and prorogation of the religion found expression in some fine specimens of religious architecture. Large Buddhist sculptures are masterly pieces. Large Buddhist sculptures of the best variety can be found amongst the early works of India at Mathura
Sanchi in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, is famous for its magnificent Buddhist monuments as well as edifices. Situated on a hill, these beautiful and well- preserved stupas depict the various stages of the development of Buddhist art and architecture of over a period of thirteen hundred years from the third century BC to the 12 th century AD. The term “Stupa” is used to indicate a inverted mound like structure.
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The Great Stupa has a large hemispherical dome. It is flat at the top. At the same time, it is crowned by a triple umbrella or Chattra or pedestal. It is believed that the last addition to the “Stupa” was made during the the early 4th century. It is at this time namely the “Gupta period” when four images of Buddha sitting in a pose of meditation were installed at the four entrances. These Large Buddhist sculptures are intriguing achievements in the sphere of architecture. In fact, the Gupta period, popularly known as the Golden Age of the Guptas(4th-7th C A.D), was a glorious age in the political history of India.
The period is often also referred to as “the Golden Age of art and architecture in India”. For Sarnath emerged as a school par excellence in the sphere of Buddhist art. Some of the most beautiful images of Buddha are products of this school.
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Interestingly, one of the best sculptures depicts Lord Buddha giving his first sermon at Deer Park. It is with the transformation of the Mahayana form of Buddhism into the Vajrayana form of Buddhism in the middle of the ninth century AD, that the state of Orissa, in modern India currently, became a popular area for the propagation of this form of Buddhism. Located in eastern India, the king Indrabhuti and his sister Laksminkara were great exponents of this form of Buddhism. It was the introduction of the “ Tantric form of worship” which seeped into Buddhism in India. This is reflected in the relics and monuments belonging to this region from that age. Most of these comprise Large Buddhist sculptures. The museum at Lalitgiri, preserves colossal Boddhisattva figures in it. The “Boddhisattva”, referr to enlightened beings. Many such figures can be found even at the caves nearby at Udaygiri and Ratnagiri.
It is at this time that Lord Buddha was represented in 5 different forms. “Amoghasiddhi” and the Tantric meditational diety “Manjusri” being two of these. They are represented through Large Buddhist sculptures at a place near Phulbani. At Khadipara, we get to see a large Buddhist sculpture of Buddha himself sitting in a pose of meditation. Avalokiteswara Padmapani- the Boddhisattva of mercy in a standing pose is represented as a Large Buddhist sculpture in the Orissa State Museum at Bhubaneswar.
Human associations with Buddhism are represented through Large Buddhist sculptures at Nothern Thailand too. These include disciples, devotees, attendants, monks to name a few. You will find a large statue of a revered abbot as well as monks at the side of Lord Buddha. For its was between the 1st to the 7th century that Buddhist art in Thailand was greatly influenced by the direct contact provided with Indian traders. This lead to a cultural exchange where inspired by the style of sculpting characteristic of the Gupta age, quite a number of monumental statues of great virtuosity, were erected.
These comprise interesting examples of large Buddhist sculpture and for more information on more different types of Buddhist sculptures, do remain logged on to Buddhistsculptures.com
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