3- Early Buddhist Art

Question 1

Early Buddhist Art

Answer 1

• Mauryan Dynasty (400-200 BC)
• seals with bull motifs: continuation from Indus Valley civilisation
• Hellenistic Influences i.e. Pillar capitals form Pātaliputra
• Lion capitals on imperial pillars used to spread Buddhism

Question 2

Stūpas

Answer 2

• adopted from burial mountains
• become first buddhist visual narrative
• relics enclosed to circunambutale
• Vedika: ground level
• anda: cupula
• harmika: belvedere
• parasol
• structure to symbolize the Buddhas superiority

Question 3

Sāñcī monastery

Answer 3

• Sakyamuni Buddha 6-5 BC
• developing buddhist communities
• Asoka: spread of buddhism 3 BC
• Buddhist monkhoods spread along trade routes (increase at turn of CE) with largs donations

Question 4

Sāñcī Stūpa II

Answer 4

• Sunga perieod ca 100BC
• CAITYA: funeral domain, relics, mount of earth
• parinirvāna: final extinction
• VEDIKā: wall around stupa
• pradaksina: circunambulation clockwise
• veneration of relicts: veneration of the Buddha
• act of giving: merot making
• TORANA gate in Vedika

Question 5

auspicious motifs in stūpas

Answer 5

i.e.in reliefs and toranas
- Buddha NOT represented in human form- ANICONIC
- the body of the buddha is made of WORDS
- BODHI tree
- THRONE
- PARASOL: Buddhas presence
- 3 Parasols: royal character of the Buddha
- POLE of Parasol, like Pillars, Axis as sign of sanctitiy
- Svastica plan of entraces in 4 cardinal directions

Question 7

Buddhas Birth and life story

Answer 7

• Mayas dream: MIRACULOUS CONCEPTION
• narrative reliefs:
• GREAT DEPARTURE
• 4 SIGHTS: old man, sick man, death, ascetic

Question 8

Jātakas
Bodhisattva (Buddha to be)

Answer 8

• numerous previous lifes
• one story: king of 80.000 monkeys build a bridge , cousin breaks it, humans impresses: human king takes care of monkey king