National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

PLATE VII

PAINTING PRESENTED BY MR. H. I. HARDING

Har. D

THIS picture of the upper half of the seated Buddha represents him in that state of intense mental abstraction induced by employing the prescribed expedient of suspending respiration and concentrating the gaze towards the tip of the nose. The round disk-like face is a form commonly given in these

paintings to a full front aspect, of which other examples are the Háriti heads in

plates iv and vi. The heavy and rather swollen appearance of the eyelids express

prolonged endurance. The drawing of the nose, seldom successfully managed by

these mural painters, is especially weak—a mere symbol; and the mouth, although

prettily shaped, is very feeble and of inadequate size. The ears have long, slit lobes.

The short black hair, forming a sharp point over the forehead, rises in a moderate

usnisa at the crown. Dispersed over the `leonine' body and arms are symbolic

devices, including the sun and moon on right and left shoulders; on the right

pectoral is an ellipsoidal jewel of stratified structure, standing on a lotus. On the

left pectoral is an octagonal many-facetted jewel, also on a lotus and emitting leaf-

like flames. The double chain at the base of the neck has thin threads streaming

from its end rings. Just above the waist, the well-drawn galloping horse perhaps

symbolizes the horse sacrifice the Asvamedha and below is a crown-like

device. On the upper arms are sacred books (pothis) each resting vertically on a

lotus and emitting leaf-shaped flames; on the forearms, facetted vajras, with flames

springing from their various points. Circles and triangles are distributed about

the body. The elaborate device on the centre of the torso consists of, at base, just

above the horse, a rectangle in which stands a vase-like object supporting a rat (?).

Encircling the junction of the foot and body of the vase is a snake, with the ends of

its body projecting like cords at the sides, each end terminating with a snake's head.

Resting on the back of the `rat' is a bowl-shape object which supports an elabor-

ate palmette ornament, from the top of which rises a mound-shape mass of

flames. The whole of this device is perhaps a rendering of the Churning of the

Ocean, which although non-Buddhist would be in company here with other devices

of Tantra or Sakti innovation.

Small patches of drapery to right, below the waist and covering the thigh, are

dark red.

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