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| Home > Indian Sculptures > Buddhist Sculptures
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| | Buddhist Sculptures
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Buddhism revolves around a religious belief or value system that is based on the teachings of Buddha. Buddha also known as Siddhartha (or Shakyamuni) Gautama born in Nepal. The teachings of Buddha states that all the suffering and pains are a part of life but in order to achieve mental and moral self-purification, which can bring a state of illumination, later on called as enlightenment, one has to take efforts. This state can take the believer beyond the sufferings and the feeling of existence. So, the main aim of Buddhism is the abandonment of desire and reach beyond the bodily existence or realization of non-attachment.In fact, making generalizations of the art of any group of people is a crude endeavor. This can be experienced especially with a culture as diverse as Buddhism`s. But Buddhist art in sculptures can be marked with special features and distinct characters of its own.
After the sculptures of Indus Valley, the next golden chapter in the history of Indian sculpture opened in the 4th century BC. The Well-known Mauryan Emperor, King Ashoka adopted the philosophy of Buddhism and immediately after it, he followed the mission to spread the teachings of this faith in all possible direction. His dedication to the religion resulted in creation of over 85,000 stupas or dome-shaped monuments. The stupas were constructed and made more sacred with engraving the teachings of Buddhism on rocks and pillars.
These constructions which served as edicts can be easily noticed in Buddhist monuments created in the Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The monuments of above mentioned places shows the vibrant art of Buddhist. Among them, the Ashoka Pillar erected at Sarnath in Madhya Pradesh is very famous. After so many years of its construction, still it gleams in polished sandstone and truly represents the hieratic art under the rule of Mauryan. The Lion capital of the pillar is now identified as the official emblem of the India and the sacred wheel of law or the Dharmachakra is the symbolic expression of the first sermon that Buddha delivered at the Sarnath.
The Great Stupa at Sanchi is most probably the finest and marvelous surviving relic of the Mauryan Empire. It is a renowned monument of Buddhist art of sculpture. The finely carved gateways of the stupa depict the Buddhist legends and scenes from his lifestyle. The foundation work of the Stupa was initiated by king Ashoka and he also has built monasteries at Sanchi as a retreat for the Buddhist monks.
The Great Stupa is fifty-four feet high and can be described as a place surrounded by a stone railing and four elaborately carved gateways on each side, for adding in the architectural beauty. The reliefs on gateways depict tales of Buddha`s incarnations - his life as a prince, his moment of enlightenment, his sermons and his worshippers. This site at Sanchi also includes remains of smaller stupas, pillars and monasteries.
The 1st century AD is marked for the change in the expression of Buddhist art. The position of Buddha had changed somewhat radically in terms of art and sculpture. The human figure had replaced the symbolic representation of Buddha and his teachings.  Though Buddha had opposed the idea of idol worship, his cult or image was established and became an essential element for worshipping. The Mathura and the Gandhara schools of art had imparted the sculpture from human form to Buddha`s image. In order to emphasize the divinity of Buddha, this human form was depicted with features like a halo around the head, the Dharmachakra engraved upon his palms and soles of his feet, and the lion throne representing his royal ancestry. These creations of early period of Buddhist art in stone, the images of Buddha are inspiring in terms of size and magnificence.
Similarly the caves at Karle and Bhaja also illustrates the Buddhist art. The magnificent chaitya hall at Karle features the skills of art. The site of Bodhgaya is the place where Gautam Buddha entered into the state of meditation after being moved by the sufferings of mankind. this place also represents the buddhist art. The giant `peepal tree` that is seen today is believed to have grown from the original Bodhi Tree which had experienced the words of Siddharth.
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