History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v1.c16.65

v1.c16.65

Besides the figures of Buddha, there are a great number of figures which have all got nimbuses or glories at the back of their heads. All have the tilaka on their foreheads, as Buddha has, and none have any kingly attributes, but all wear the same ornaments and amulets. These are recognised as representations of the Bodhisattwa or of Bodhisattwas. Until Gautama assumed Buddhahood, he was the Bodhisattwa of that age, and as such is represented with necklaces and ornaments. But the Mahâyâna school introduced many others into their iconography—mythical beings who are ultimately to be manifested as the Buddhas of future ages.¹