The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c10.31

c10.31

That is exactly what is represented in the sculptures of Bharhut and Sânchî. As a symbol of the Nativity the Buddhist sculptor used the figure of Ushas, the Vedic Dawn-maiden, otherwise Lakshmi or Sri, the Goddess of Good Fortune, Abundance, and Fertility (Pl. XI, fig. A). She rises from the cosmic ocean standing upon Brahmâ's lotus flower, and two elephants, symbols of the rain-cloud, pour lustrations over her. Seven different kinds of trees, with Vedic altars as thrones of the gods placed in front of them (Pl. XI, fig. B), symbolised the Second Event in the Buddhist sacred cycle, the Illumination under the Bodhi Tree, which was said to have taken place in seven different lives of the Tathâgata, and represented, as Professor Rhys Davids has explained, the attainment of Nirvana, the zenith of spiritual consciousness. The Third Event was the preaching of the first Sermon at Benares, the turning of the Wheel of the Law.