Explain origin and evolution Indian Buddha’s image and point out special characteristic of Gandhara Buddha image.

Buddha appeared in India in the 6th century B.C., but his image was not made according to archaeological evidence, until the 1st century B.C or A.D. Various scholars have argued going various reasons for not making the Buddha image. In literary sources it is given that the Buddha image was made even during his lifetime. According to Kosala-bimba-vannana, a Pali book written in the 13th or 14th Century A.D. says that the Buddha image was made during his lifetime.

Actually, the appearance of the Buddha image has several historical factors, i.e.1. Due to the flourishing of the Mahayana Buddhism. The concept of

Trikaya became popular. The Mahayana propagated Bhakti cult, i.e. devotion to the Buddha as a way of salvation. The Greek people who were image worshippers became Buddhists and they started to create the Nirmana-kaya of the Buddha.

2. According to Y. Krishan, the Epigraphical碑文 evidence shows that the

Kushans extended their royal patronage to the cause of Buddhism. They encouraged and donated the creating of Buddha images.

According to that the anthropomorphic form of Buddha image appeared in India either in the 1st century B.C. or A.D. We have found out archaeological evidences from Gandhara and Mathura. The evolution of the Buddha images had undergone 4 stages:

1st stage - Buddha’s image of Gandhara By the 1st century B.C., the Greek came to India, then conquered the North West

part of India and ruled for sometimes. The Greek’s culture began to influence the India culture. The culture of Greek was based on the worshipping of image cult. Buddha image in human form was appeared contemporary in Gandhara and Mathura. The Greek who ruled India embraced Buddhism and they wanted to know who their master was, then they changed the concept of not creating the Buddha in human form.

The Greek artist took the model of the ‘Greece God Apollo’ and they created the Buddha figure in the shape of that God. Gandhara figures of the Buddha wear ‘toga’ like robes reaching down below the knees. The folds of the robes are well defined and the limbs thick and even plump. The head is reminiscent of the Greek rendering of the head of ‘Apollo’. Features are full, the eyes half open indicating divine peace. The nose is almost Roman, its lines continuing upwards to form stylized brows. The ‘third eye’ is on the forehead, the ears are pendulous and the robes strongly carved and well proportioned. The hair is long and wavy, and the cranial protuberance, usnisa, disguised by and adaptation of the topknot, similar to the krobylos of the ‘Greek sun god’. The proportion of the figure is that of 5 heads as are the figures of late Roman

sculpture. The sculpture of Gandhara is almost entirely Buddhist.

2nd stage - Buddha’s image in MathuraThe Buddha image appeared in Mathura at the same time of the Gandhara

Buddha image. But there is a very big difference between the two. The Mathura Buddha image took the Yaksha as the model, which is very muscular and earthy, the main different in creating the Buddha image at Mathura in 3 stages.

1． produced symbol to represent the Buddha,

2． produced the Bodhisatta image,

3． the Buddha image was made.

3rd stage – Amaravati Buddha image (2nd A.D.)It is the combination of Gandhara and Mathura Buddha images, because its

physical appearance was like an Indian, but the robe was like the ‘toga’ of the Gandhara Buddha image.

4th stage – Gupta Buddha image (320 A.D.)During the Gupta period, the Buddha image was created with the real quality of the

Buddha, both physically and spiritually. It was evolved on the basis of Mathura Buddha image, but Gandhara’s influence was also seen in that.