Essay name: Buddhist iconography in and outside India (Study)
Author:
Purabi Gangopadhyay
Affiliation: University of Calcutta / Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture
This work aims to systematically present the development and expansion of Mahayana-Vajrayana Buddhist iconography from India to other countries, such as China, Korea, and Japan. This study includes a historical account of Indian Buddhist iconography and the integration of Brahmanical gods into the Mahayana-Vajrayana phase.
Chapter 4: Japanese Buddhist Iconography (a Comparative Study)
76 (of 101)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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statue is preserved in the Jing艒-ji temple. Here the goddess
is represented as eight-handed. She holds different types of
attributes in her hands. She holds a padma, an arrow, a bow,
sceptre and four other attributes in her eight hands. She
sits on a lotus pedestal. Her eyes are half-closed. The halo
behind her and the pedestal on which the lotus is placed are
beautifully carved. 1
One of the two important figures are the goddess
placed in the Kichij艒-ten Zushi of the J艒ruri-ji temple Kyoto
(PlXXFig. 1.). Another figure is now preserved in the
Kamakura Museum. Here the deity is depicted as bare-bodied.
Occasionally she is attired (PLXXVII,Fig.2 ).
Sasthi/Hariti
Sa峁hi, the Indian Brahmanical goddess, is a feline
antly generally depicted as riding on cat. She is the bestower
of children and she gives protection to them. There are
several legends and stories regarding her origin. All the
stories are more or less connected with her love and protec-
tion to the children. As for her iconographic feature, she
holds two or three children in her lap and a few children
stand around her. But she is a folk deity of Bengal and she
is little worshipped in other parts of India.
1. AJTBOEMS, p. 140, P. 1鈥�72,
