Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v2.c75.s3.25

v2.c75.s3.25

The Buddha image as described below has an abundant sculptural representation and it is only a perverted wisdom of eminent historians and archaeologists to attribute its origin to foreigners. Man and mankind is indivisible. The Aryan race is a pointer to this great truth. Those who came to India became Indians, imbibed the indigenous culture and gave something of their own also. This intermingling is the essence of culture, the essence of the dynamic character of culture and is also characterised by the freshness of outlook, ideas and institutions. Gandhara art, which is accredited to have produced Buddha images for the first time, was no doubt flourished on the indigenous-cum-Greek inspiration, but nevertheless its setting was perfectly Indian and Buddha images therefore are cent per cent authentic representation of the iconology as elaborated below. Apart from Gandhara art in which innumerable Buddha images are illustrated, there is no dearth of Hindu sculptures representing Buddha. The Daśāvatāra reliefs throughout India include Buddha and Rao says that throughout the Chalukya and Hoysal countries Buddha is seen to have been invariably included among the ten avatāras of Viṣṇu and his image is always found wherever these avatāras are portrayed. Dhyāna attitude and Yogamudrā are the prominent traits of his representation. It may be pointed out (cf. also Jain Tīrthaṅkaras) that even educated people sometimes fail to distinguish a Buddha from a Jina, the latter also being characteristically represented in these two prominent traits, the Dhyāna attitude and the Yogamudrā. The most distinguishing features of the images of Buddha are the clothes worn in the upavīta fashion and the knot of hair on the top of the head. The Jain images are completely divested of clothing and are stark naked and are characterised by Śrīvatssa mark on the right side of the chest.