We
all follow Buddha under the concept of Buddhism. His sculpted representation in
the form of Abhaya (fearless), Bhumisparsha, or Dharma Chakra Pravartana Mudra
(first sermon) inspires us to recall this great philosopher personality and his
greatest wisdom. The idols and images are not the matter of devotion, but are
seen as an inspiration to strive towards the Middle Path and achieve the
highest wisdom or enlightenment.
In
ancient time, Buddha was followed through his teachings. But where did we get
the pictorial representation of Buddha in deep meditative pose with a divine
calm on his face? The answer to this is Mathura. Located in western Uttar
Pradesh, the location is primarily associated with Hindu God Krishna’s birth
and adulthood. But a part of Buddhist history also is associated with Mathura.
The
land has been sacred since antiquity as Buddha himself founded monasteries
here. According to Fa Hian’s travel accounts, this region during 78 AD held twenty Buddhist monasteries with about three
thousand resident monks.
Another
landmark development here associated with Buddhism is the Mathurā School of
Buddhist art. Here, it is believed that many carvers here worked relentlessly
to create the Buddha in human form. The modern day idol featuring the benign
long ear Buddha’s statues in meditative pose is a result of Buddha’s pictorial
manifestation. This development of interesting Buddhist art flourished during
2nd century BC to the 12th century AD under the patronship of Kushana and Gupta
rule.
The
Mathura School of art (India) was contemporary with the Gandhara School of art
in the modern day Afghanistan. But both the sculpted representations differ in
their appearance and representations. Its sculptures depict Buddha in Abhaya
mudra, Gandhara statues depict robed Buddha in standing pose. It is even
believed that it even served as an exporter of Buddhist sculptures.
The
journey of evolution in Buddhist visual art here can be observed in the city’s Archaeological
Museum. Here, tourists can actually see the variety of Buddhist sculptures
and their successive interpretations in a unique way. In modern times, the
city’s Buddhist heritage can be experienced with a visit to this museum.
During
a visit to Mathura,
tourists and pilgrims can revisit the location where Buddhists got the gift of
Buddha sculpture to revere his wisdom, benevolence and compassion in virtual
form.
No comments:
Post a Comment