As we all know, Buddhism originated in ancient India, and Buddha statues naturally originated in ancient India. The Chinese Buddha statues are influenced by the ancient Indian Buddha statues, and there are still a large number of ancient Indian Buddha statues preserved in China. Therefore, understanding the ancient Indian Buddha statues is of great significance for mastering the Chinese Buddha statues. This article will introduce it, I hope it will be helpful to all Tibetan friends.
First, the production of Buddha statues in ancient India
In the 6th century BC, Buddhism was born. Because of the popular language in which it promotes the teachings, it feels intimate and receptive, and it is widely disseminated.
In the 1st century AD, under the influence of ancient Greek sculpture art, the first Buddha statues were produced in the jiān tuó luó region of northwestern India!
With the promotion and spread of Buddhism in the Peacock Dynasty, Kushan Dynasty, Gupta Dynasty and Polo Dynasty, the ancient Indian Buddha statue art has also undergone different stages of development, and in various periods, distinctive Buddha statue styles such as Gandhara style, mò tù luó style, Gupta style and Polo style have been formed. With the continuous spread of Buddhism, these statue styles were combined with the sculptural traditions and aesthetic orientations introduced to the land, forming different regional styles of Buddha statues.
Second, the different regional styles and characteristics of ancient Indian Buddha statues
1. Gandhara style
The Gandhara region, located in northwestern ancient India (present-day northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan), was the gateway to India in Central Asia. Gandhara was one of the sixteen kingdoms of ancient India and was part of the ancient Persian Empire, which was occupied by the Greek Empire of Alexandria and where Ashoka sent Buddhists to spread Buddhism. In the 2nd century BC, the Greeks established the Bactria here. In the 1st century AD, the Ōtsuki people established the Kushan Dynasty here, and the capital was gandhara, so the Gandhara culture combined the essence of ancient Persian, ancient Greece, ancient India and Central Asian steppe culture!
In the 1st century AD, during the Kushan Dynasty, the earliest Buddha statues appeared in the Gandhara region!
The Kushan Dynasty era is the heyday of Gandhara art, Gandhara was once a Greek cultural colony, it imitated the Greek and Roman carving of gods, in the form of Western human body realistic carving Buddha statues, therefore, the Buddha statue in Gandhara region, can also be said to be the world's earliest Buddha statue combined with Buddhist culture and Greek culture and was born.
peculiarity
Gandhara-style Buddha statues, mostly wavy in buns, deep eyes and high noses, wearing a shoulder-length coat, have a strong Hellenistic sculptural style. Its sculptural material is mostly shale.
effect
At the end of the 5th century AD, due to the influence of war, the Buddha statues in gandhara gradually disappeared, and their artistic style was inherited in the Swat region (northern Gandhara region, present-day Swat Valley region in northern Pakistan) and Kashmir (the western part of the Himalayas), and new artistic styles were derived.
At the same time, due to the development of statue art, the spread of Buddhism has also played a great role in promoting the production of Buddha statues in China.
The Gandhara-style art of Buddha statue-making, which spread eastward along the silk route from the western region, was a system of northern transmission; plus the Modra art of Central India, which spread eastward from the southern sea route, was a system of southern transmission. The two arts traveled north and south and influenced each other, which had a very important impact on the development of Chinese Buddhist art in the future and the formation of Chinese Buddhist statues.
Typicalizer
Shakyamuni Buddha, 3rd to 4th centuries
Statue of Shakyamuni Bodhisattva
The Gandhara Buddha in the picture above has a pure round head and a bodhisattva with a slightly bent right foot, standing on a pedestal engraved with a five-leaf pattern, which may come from the influence of Persian culture in Central Asia. The right hand is stretched with five fingers, the left hand holds the object, the upper body is exposed, the lower waist coat is smooth and realistic, the Greco-Roman cloak, the folds are heavy, and the engraving is delicate. Foot shoes, or Roman shoes, also derived from the influence of Greek culture, with luxurious decorations such as nails and beads on the laces, which were popular ornaments for the nobility at that time. Judging from the bodhisattva's attire, appearance and posture, its luxurious features bear the style of the Western sun god Apollo, showing the influence of Greek statues. Shakya Bodhisattva was born into a noble family, and this statue of a bodhisattva is undoubtedly a perfect embodiment of the bodhisattva's costume before Prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
Statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva, 4th-5th centuries
The statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva in the picture above has a round head light, and the head light is kneeling on both sides of the two offerings. Hairstyle, dauntless seal in the right hand, water bottle in the left hand, heavy earrings on the earlobe, four-fold stitch on the chest, standing on a square base, shoes under the feet, and a seated Buddha and two left and right attendants in the middle of the square pillar of the front base. The fourth is a necklace, the first is a wide piece of jewelry, representing the identity of the ancient Indian Brahmin nobility; the second is a simple ornament with two strands and a bundle draped on the right shoulder; the third is a thick U-shaped "holy thread" with several small boxes hanging from the right side, and the fourth is a thick U-shaped "holy thread" composed of several strands of threads. The bodhisattva's upper body is exposed, the shoulders are draped in a heavenly robe, the lower belt is clothed, and the skirt is tied with knots, and the carving is realistic. This statue has the two characteristics of Maitreya Bodhisattva, the hairstyle and the holding of a water bottle, the hairstyle is simple knotted with natural sagging, which is the hairstyle of ancient Brahmins. Because of his Brahmin origin, Maitreya Bodhisattva had a Brahmin hairstyle and held the water bottle logo of a Brahmin practitioner.
(1) Swat style
Swat is located in the northern part of the Gandhara region (present-day Swat Valley region of northern Pakistan), which belongs to the ancient Gandhara region and is known in Chinese literature as Ujinguo, Wuchang, and Uzhana. The Buddhist sculptures found in the Swat Valley region have a unique artistic flair and are known as the Swat style. Before the 6th century, Buddhist statues in the Swat region were mainly influenced by gandhara and Gupta styles. Since the 6th century, Buddhist statues in the Swat region have developed into independent art forms, absorbing the Gandhara and Gupta art styles and combining with Central Asian art to form a unique Swat style.
1) Features
The Buddha statues in the Swat area have a strong sense of three-dimensionality, simple styles, and pay attention to detailed depictions, which to a certain extent preserves the legacy of Gandhara statues.
The Swat style of statues continued until the 10th century and had an influence on statues in Kashmir and western Tibet.
2) Typical device
Bronze seated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha 13 cm high from the collection of the National Museum
The statue has a spiral hair, an oval face, eyes slightly open, lips full, and a quiet and dignified demeanor. Dressed in a shoulder-length robe, with his left hand holding the corner of his garment and his right hand giving the wish seal, he sits on an oval lotus pedestal. The lotus seat is a deep tunic with large and full petals, which is a common form of lotus in the Swat region. The thick texture of Shakyamuni Buddha's robes retains the characteristics of Gandhara art, but the regular arrangement of the robes is the embodiment of Gupta's style.
Bronze seated statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva 9th century height 37.5 cm From the collection of the National Museum
Maitreya Bodhisattva wears a three-leaf crown on his head, and the hair braids at the back of his head are bead-shaped. His face is plump and his eyes are inlaid with silver. With his upper body and skirt underneath, he sat on the lotus seat. Hold the bottle in your left hand and raise your right hand to your shoulder. The lotus seat is an oval deep-tuned waist-tipped lotus with full, stretched petals, and is a popular style for Swat statues from the 7th to the 9th centuries. Maitreya is mainly marked by a purification bottle and a pagoda.
Maitreya is one of the "future Buddhas" of Mahayana Buddhism, with both bodhisattva and Buddha forms. Before becoming a Buddha, Maitreya wore a bodhisattva costume, a crown on his head, adorned with a jewel, and sat on his knees, which is based on the deeds of Maitreya's sutra on living in Tushitian as a supplement to the bodhisattva. Maitreya after becoming a Buddha wore a Buddha costume, which is according to the Maitreya Sutra, maitreya was born in the world of Shaiva after 5.67 billion years, and became a Buddha after Shakyamuni.
(2) Kashmiri style
Kashmir is located in the western part of the Himalayas, and ancient Chinese texts once called Kashmir, Kubin and so on. It is part of the ancient Gandhara and was once the center of Buddhism in northwest India. Statues in the area are derived from Gandhara art and are influenced by the Gupta period Ino and Sarnath styles. Beginning in the 6th century, the Kashmir region began to create statues in the local style independently, and by the 7th-8th centuries, the Kashmiri style was formed.
1) Features
Its Buddha statue is characterized by a long round face, the position of the eyes on the face is very prominent, and the eyes are large and unfocused, as if surprised. The eyes, lips, pekoe and other parts are decorated with silver and red copper. The statue is full of bodies, wearing more right or shoulder robes. The robe is light and close, and only the stripes are carved at the edges of the garment. The headlight and backlight of the statue are used more often, and it is often a hollow shape. Rectangular pedestals are characteristic of Kashmiri statues, dominated by column-like partitions or Luxto lifting figures. Buddhist statues in Kashmir are mostly made of brass and meticulously crafted, which has a profound influence on the statues in Tibet, China.
- Typicalizer
The National Museum houses an 8th-century bronze seated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha
The statue has a square face, a face of gold, silver eyes, and red copper lips. Holding the corner of the coat in his left hand and the fearless seal in his right hand, he sat on a rectangular pedestal. The pedestal is held up by Lux and protected by two lions on the left and right. Shakyamuni Buddha wore a right-shouldered robe, which was close to the body and had no stripes, which was characteristic of Gupta's style.
After the 7th century, the Kashmir region created a unique rectangular lion pedestal form, with a lux hand supporting the pedestal between the two thick lions, and a cushion placed on the seat.
The National Museum houses the 11th-century bronze crown of the seated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha
Shakyamuni Buddha wears a three-leaf crown on his head, his eyes and white inlaid silver. Dressed in a natural coat, the pleats are smooth, and the body is gorgeous and elegant. The hands are knotted with seals, and the knots sit on a rectangular pedestal. The pedestal has four pillars on the front, with a Lux lift in the middle and a lion protector on both sides. The Buddha statue has a headlight and backlight behind it, the outer edge of the backlight is a flame pattern, the inside is a plum pattern, the headlight is a flame pattern, and the interior is beaded. The silver inlay technique and the gourd-shaped backlight form of the statue are the characteristics of the statue in Kashmir.
The emergence of such crowned Buddhas is related to the formation of esoteric buddhism. Tantra is the product of the fusion of Indian Buddhism, Hinduism and Indian folk beliefs, with mantras, rituals and secular beliefs as the main characteristics, advocating the recitation of mantras (mantras), hand knot seals (body tantras) and mind meditation (yi tantra), and the three tantras can correspondingly become Buddhas. Before the advent of esoteric buddhism, Buddha statues wore only robes and did not wear any ornaments. After the formation of esoteric buddhism in the 7th century, Buddha statues began to pursue luxurious decorations, not only wearing crowns, but also wearing gorgeous and valuable ornaments in various parts of the body. The image of the Buddha was later introduced to Tibet in China, northwestern India, and Central Asia.
2. Mochiro style
Motsura, is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Mathurā, also translated as Mathura, Matula, Maturi wax, Mordulo, etc., meaning honey, peacock, located in the southern part of ancient India, now southeast of New Delhi, northwest of the middle reaches of the Ganges, is one of the sixteen great powers of India, Surosina (Śūrasena), located on the trade route between ancient India and the West, and is also the artistic and cultural center of ancient India.
The Mokura region was an important Buddhist center during the reign of the Kushan Dynasty. At the end of the 1st century, under the influence of the Gandhara style, Buddha statue sculptures also appeared in the Modra area.
peculiarity
Due to the strong indian cultural tradition in the Mosuluo area, its statue style inherits the traditional Indian thin clothing, wide shoulders and thick chest, spiral hair and cheeks, wavy clothing patterns and other styling characteristics, based on the Indian native people, showing the sense of life and strength of the human body, with strong traces of Indian native art. Its material is mostly yellow-spotted red sandstone.
This is in sharp contrast to the thick, rugged, calm and introspective style of the Gandhara Buddha statue.
Much of the statue style in the Mochi-Tsula region was absorbed by the later Gupta style.
The art of statues of Mochiura is divided into the Kushan era and the Gupta era, each with its own different statue characteristics.
(1) The art of statues of Mosula in the Guishuang era
The statues of this period still have the influence of Greek culture, and the Gandhara statue style also has an influence on it, but the local Indian tradition of Mochira is relatively strong, and the external influence is not obvious. Coupled with the hot climate, thin clothing, and fashion advocating the flesh, under this influence, the coat of the Statue of Modra is thinner than that of the Statue of Gandhara, the body is prominent, and there are often raised ridges on the stripes, and the yin line is engraved on it.
Statue of the Bodhisattva 2nd century, collection of the Jimei Museum in France
Seated statue of Buddha 3rd century, collection of the Mora Museum in India
(2) The art of The Statue of Mochiura in the Gupta Period
The Gupta Dynasty was the golden age of Indian Buddhist art.
The Buddhist statues of the Gupta period integrate and transform the differences between Gandhara and Mochihara, integrate western realism and modeling into the unique local art models of traditional India, and create a new Buddhist statue style with perfect and pure artistic techniques and elegant and distinctive national characteristics. At the same time, because it created the peak period of Indian Buddhist sculpture art, it can also be listed separately, called the "Gupta style" juxtaposed with the Mochi suro style.
peculiarity
The main flourishing period of statue-making in the Gupta period was between the 4th and 5th centuries. During this period, the Buddhist art centers of India were transferred to the Mokura and Sarnath (Sarnath) regions.
1) Characteristics of statues in the Mosuluo area: thin clothing, wavy clothing pattern (see figure below).
Buddha statue in the Gupta region of the Gupta era in the 5th century
2) Characteristics of the statue in the Sarnath (Luyeyuan) area: wet clothes are close-fitting and have no clothing lines (see picture below).
Seated Buddha statue in the Shikanoen area of the Gupta period in the 5th century
Both are simple and perfect idealized shapes, both of which fully express the artistic characteristics of Indian local classicism.
3. Gupta style
The Gupta dynasty, which ruled North India, Central India and the entire Ganges Valley, was the heyday of Indian Buddhism and the golden age of Buddhist iconography. This period absorbed and inherited the Gandhara art style and the Mochisura art style, creating the Gupta style that would be modeled for future generations.
At that time, the Buddhist center was in the Areas of Mokara and Sarnat (Shikinoen), and there were obvious differences in the style of statues in the two places, forming the Gupta period's Mochiro and Sarnath styles, respectively.
Gupta's style has a profound influence, with Buddha statues in Central, East and Southeast Asia being deeply influenced by it, as well as Chinese Buddha statues. (For details, see the previous section "The Art of The Statue of Mochira in the Gupta Era"))
4th-5th century Gupta period Gupta Period Statue of Mochiro Buddha
The above picture shows this 4th-5th century Gupta era Gupta stone statue of the Mora statue, with a high bun and a spiral hair, delicate eye carving, a high nose bridge and straight, and a stern and elegant expression. Rectangular ears, rounded chin, broad lower lip, pictorial characteristics of Indians. Wide shoulders and thick chest, large figure, right knee slightly bent, center of gravity on the left foot, slightly dynamic, the outside of the Buddha's foot has a body of a kneeling devotee. Wearing a shoulder-length robe, the light and thin body hangs from the shoulders to the crotch, the yang carved heavy bulge "U" shaped ripples, through the thin clothing delicately express the waistband of the skirt inside the robe, showing a robust body, the proportions are stretched and symmetrical, the shape is accurate and vivid, full of vitality.
The Buddha's head light pattern is rich, exquisitely decorated, with multiple concentric circles carved from the inside to the outside, and decorated with lotus petal patterns, radial patterns, curly grass patterns, twisted garlands, beads and arc patterns from the center, which are gorgeous and complex.
The statue as a whole presents a classical beauty of grace, calm and elegance, harmony and balance.
Sarnat style Buddha statue from the Gupta era in the 5th century
(4) Polo style
Northeast India mainly refers to the area of present-day Bihar, West Bengal and Bangladesh, which was once the center of statues of Indian Buddhist occultism. In the 7th–3rd centuries AD, the Polo Dynasty (c. 750–1150) ruled and created the Last Glory of Indian Buddhist Iconography, the Polo style.
peculiarity
The Polo style was formed by inheriting the Gupta style and incorporating local characteristics. The appearance of the statue has the characteristics of Indians, with prominent upper eyelids, large eyes and rich lips. Its portrait posture is beautiful, the body curves are smooth and rounded, the thin clothes are close, and only simple lines are carved on the shoulders and legs.
The Northeast Indian Buddhist statue style has a certain influence on Chinese Buddha statues.
Typicalizer
12th-century Polo style bronze gilded seated statue of Buddha Shakyamuni
The statue has a square face, large eyes, a straight nose, and a wide mouth. Cloaked in robes, the robes are light and slim, and the edges are decorated with raised lines. The left hand knots the meditation seal, the right hand applies the touch seal, and the knot sits on the lotus seat. The thin coat and tall pedestal are the embodiment of the Polo style of Northeast India.
12th-century Polo style bronze seated statue of Amitabha Buddha
The statue is made in a high bun with a three-leaf crown and a crown. Draped over the shoulders, the straps are raised along the arms, and the body is decorated with collars, charms and armbands. With both hands knotted in meditation, holding the treasure vase, and sitting on the lotus pedestal. Under the lotus seat is the angled Takasumi seat, which originated in the Gandhara region and is commonly found in statues in northeast India.
Amitabha Buddha, who lives in the West among the Five Buddhas, is the leader of the Western Elysium, belongs to the Lotus Department, the Lord of Mysterious Observation, and the longevity god in Buddhism is mostly related to it.
epilogue
In summary, ancient Indian Buddha statues are divided into four types: Gandhara style, Mochira style, Gupta style and Polo style.
Its source stream can be summarized as the two major schools of Gandhara and Gupta, because the Gupta style can be regarded as a branch of the Gupta style, and the Polo style is developed on the basis of the Gupta style, so it can be classified as the Gupala style.
These major styles or schools influenced each other, promoted the development of Buddhism and Buddha statue art, and had a profound impact on the emergence and development of Buddha statues in China.