The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c9.20

c9.20

In Nepal, interesting material for the study of Buddhist iconography is obtained from an entirely unexpected quarter. There is a class of people called the Citrakāras or professional artists. They are so proficient in their art that they can produce an excellent drawing of any Buddhist deity in a few minutes. These artists seem to have a phenomenal memory with regard to the iconographic details such as the number of faces and hands, the pose, the symbols, the weapons and the parental Dhyāni Buddha. They prepare such drawings in the presence of the customer without ever referring to a book or painted specimen, although at home they keep albums full of drawings in black and white and paintings in colour all relating to Buddhist deities. The specimens obtained from a gifted Citrakāra named Vīrmān are reproduced in the body of the book in large numbers. All line drawings, barring the twenty-four Bodhisattvas, reproduced in this volume are from his drawings in black and white.