Buddhist iconography in and outside India (Study)
by Purabi Gangopadhyay | 2016 | 47,446 words
This essay represents a a comparative study of Buddhist iconography in and outside India, focusing on regions such as China, Korea, and Japan. The study is divided into four chapters, covering: 1. The emergence of Buddhism in India and its spread to other countries; 2. A historical account of Indian Buddhist iconography and the integration of Brahm...
The Sanjusangendo temple (in Kyoto)
In Kyoto, there is one famous tample of thousand Kannon called Sanjusangendo [sanjusangen-do]. In this temple there are 1001 figures of eleven-headed thousand-armed Kannon or Juichimen Senju 1. "He is four-faced and eight-armed and stands on a lotus. He carries in his four right hands the Vajra, the sword, the goad, and bow, while the four left carry the ghanta, the tridandi, the noose and the arrow" - see Indian Buddhist Iconography, p. 218.
- 108 Kannon (Ekadasamukha-Sahasrabhuja Avalokitesvara). The figures stand on the pedestal and placed on the rows of gallery-like steps. The central figure of this group is of Avalokitesvara who is seated in dhyanamudra. Each of the other 1000 Avalokitesvara has small heads over the central head and a miniature figure of Amitabha is placed above all the hoads.