The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c9.112

c9.112

We have followed up the evolution of the subject and its variants from the Vᵗʰ century of our era to the final extinction of Buddhist art in India. Could we not now, after having brought the course of its history as far down as possible, endeavour to remount towards its origin and seek in the preceding schools, beginning with that of Gandhâra, the prototypes of the monuments which we have just identified? The enterprise imposes itself upon us, and there seems to be no way of escape. Such fortunately is, so far as Buddhist iconography is concerned, the routine force of tradition, that, in order to succeed in this second part of our task, it will suffice to determine with exactitude the distinctive feature common to all the verified representations of the *mahâprâtihârya*. Now, if you turn over the plates afresh, you will very soon observe that what characterizes them above all is the special form of this lotus « with a thousand petals (¹), as broad as a chariot wheel, of solid gold, with a diamond stem », standing out entirely from the plinth. Whether supported or not by the two Nâgarâjas, whose masterpiece it is, it constantly serves as a throne — or at least as a footstool — to a Buddha seated in the attitude of teaching. By this sign we must henceforth retrospectively identify a whole series of Greco-Buddhist stelæ, the greater number of which have already been published, but not explained, and which for the convenience of the reader we have here collected together before his eyes (pll. XXIV-XXVIII, 1).