Sri Lankan art

The present book explores a revelatory Andharan style relief recently discovered in Sri Lanka. This groundbreaking work adds to the growing body of archaeological evidence of important exchanges between the Buddhists of Sri Lanka and their co-religionists in the Krishna Valley. This relief is the most ancient document attested to date depicting the events that took place during the first seven weeks following the enlightenment of the Buddha. Its unique iconography leads the author to closely examine contradictions between literary evidence and visual representations of what is known as the sambodhi, or “perfect awakening” of the Buddha. According to the classic Buddhist texts the Mahāvastu and the Lalitavistara, the Buddha spent seven weeks after his enlightenment near the Bodhi tree. By contrast, the Buddhist canonical text the Vinaya-Piṭaka describes this period as only four weeks long. Sri Lankan and Burmese artists have preferred to depict the seven-week account. Furthermore, the “seven-week” motif depicted in this Andharan relief follows the chronological order given in the important Pāli texts the Nidānakathā and the Mahābodhi-Vaṁsa. The textual confusions and artistic contradictions excavated by this book uncover a bigger picture of the complex ways in which the story of the Buddha’s story was imagined in the earliest period of recorded Buddhist history. The present study is the first in a series of books by this author on Buddhist art.

The present study is based on a hitherto unpublished relief most probably sculpted in Sri Lanka by an artist of the Nāgārjunakoṇa School, using a hard lime slab from Andhra. It was found accidentally in the premises of the Rankirimada Rajamahā Vihāra, Doluwa, Kumbukwewa (Kurunagala District) in Sri Lanka. This relief is the most ancient document, attested to date, depicting the events that took place during the first seven weeks that follow the Sambodhi (Perfect Awakening) of the Buddha and its unique iconography led us to closely examine the contradictions contained in some Buddhist texts when describing these seven weeks. There is some confusion and a number of contradictions in the texts as to the first seven days of the Buddha’s activity. These flaws in the textual narrations have caused confusion not only in the minds of visual artists of the past, but also in the interpretations proposed by art historians of the present day.

The present book is the first of five volumes on Śrī Laṅkān art. The next book will be on the sculptures of the Classical Period (5th-10th century CE). The third book will cover Buddhist and Hindu sculptures of the Polonnaruwa period (11th-13th century). The fourth one will be on the Yapahuwa and Kandiyan periods (13th-20th century). The final volume will focus on the mural paintings extending from the 2nd century to the 20th century CE. The present volume thus examines the early forms of Śrī Laṅkān plastic art, mainly reliefs and rock-cut images. The book is based on hitherto known and unknown statues and reliefs from excavations conducted in recent years by the Department of Archaeology and the Central Cultural Fund (then Cultural Triangle) and accidental finds. The commentary is based on a catalogue divided into three main parts. The first part is a survey of most significant portable reliefs imported to Śrī Laṅkā from Andhradeśa or sculpted by Andhra artists residing on the island using Andhra hard limestone. In part II early forms of Śrī Laṅkān art inspired by Andhra art are classified. Part III of the catalogue represents a selection of sculptures found in Andhra now conserved in Indian and foreign museums which may have served as prototypes.

Bopearachchi, Osmund. <em>Seven Weeks After the Buddha's Enlightenment: Contradictions in Text, Confusions in Art</em> (Delhi: Manohar, 2016). <br> Gautama Buddha -- Enlightenment.<br> Gautama Buddha. <br> Enlightenment (Buddhism)

This slab depicts the interpreta on of Queen Māyā's dream. The queen is shown seated on a high stool surrounded by her female a endants. King Śuddhodana sits on a grand throne. Under his throne a gaṇa or a dwarf a endant emerges. Behind the throne are male and female a endants watching the scene. Panels from Amarāva and Nāgārjunakoṇḍa depic ng the interpreta on of Māyā's dream are numerous. Among them, two sculptures from Amarāva now in the Bri sh Museum are worth men oning: the drum slab discussed in the previous entry, see cat. no. 75 (R. Knox, 1992, p. 121, fig. 61) and a coping stone depic ng three events related to the birth of the Bodhisa va Siddhārtha (see R. Knox, 1992, p. 100, fig. 41). Two panels from Nāgārjunakoṇḍa also depict the same event: the one exhibited in the Madras Government Museum (E.R. Stone, 1994, fig. 159) and the one from site no. 3 at Nāgārjunakoṇḍa now in the Na onal Museum in New Delhi, see cat. no. 77 B. (R. Stone, 1994, fig. 188). However, stylis cally, both panels (cat. nos. 1 and 2) are closer to the reliefs from Amarāva. The presence of the bead and reel border on the right ver cal extremity of this relief shows the borrowing from the Greek and Roman world (for example, compare this mo f with the bead and reel border on the coins of the Graeco-Bactrians, O. Bopearachchi, 1998, nos. 464-7, 618-31). Sculptures from the bodhighara of the Abhayagirivihāra 33 A 33 B No. 33. Pādaka "upright" of a railing Jetavanarama CCF Museum. Anurādhapura. H. 49 cm W. 36 cm. Hard limestone. Unpublished. Carved on both sides, this railing upright also has the same type of decora on as the two previous ones. The side with the three-quarter circle decorated with downward-turning and upwardturning lotus petals is extremely eroded. The five-sided columns stemming from the square base are This pādaka has quite similar decora ve mo fs on both sides as the previous upright (No. 31), yet their poor state of preserva on does not allow us to iden fy all of them. The inner row of lotus petals, the central seed pod and the stamens disposed as solar rays set around the pis l seem to be unfinished. The lower border is characterised by a fantas c beast with the head of a horned lion and legs ending in a fish tail (cat. no. 32 A). The opposite side is also similar to the previous upright, but the decora ve mo fs are more accurate. Two square bases have a semi-circular form most probably imita ng petals. Under the concave 'cushion-capital' geometrical designs composed of roundels and semi-circular bands highlight the pillar (cat. no. 32 B).

The present book is the first of five volumes that I wish to publish in the near future on Śrī Laṅkān art. The next book will be on the sculptures of the Classical Period (5th-10th century CE). The third book will cover Buddhist and Hindu sculptures of the Polonnaruwa period (11th-13th century). The fourth one will be on the Yapahuwa and Kandiyan periods (13th-20th century). The final volume will focus on the mural paintings extending from the 2nd century to the 20th century CE.