Sripura (Archaeological Survey)

by Bikash Chandra Pradhan | 2011 | 37,938 words

This study examines the Archaeological remains of Sripura from the period A.D. 650-800, revealing all varieties of archaeological materials, viz., art and architecture, coins, copper plate and stone epigraphic records and seals etc. highlighting the history and cultural heritage of Shripura. This ancient city was the capital of South Koshala under ...

Scultures of Bodhisattvas

The term Bodhisattva is derived from two words–the Bodhi (Illumination) and the Sattva (soul) (Bhattacharya 1968; 82). The Bodhisattva is one, who became enlightened, acquired the Bodhi knowledge, but refused to admit niravana since he wishes to show all mankind the true path of the Buddha (Gupta 1972; 110).

Of the seventy-nine metal figures found at Sirpur, at least thirty-one icons are Bodhisattvas. Among the current thirty-one Bodhisattva images, his only six aspects have been recognized–one stands for Samantabhadra, four Ratnapanis, sixteen Avalokitesvaras, two Maitreyas, six Manjusris, and two Vajrapanis. Out of sixteen Avalokitesvaras, one reveals Sadaksari-Lokesvara, one RaktaLokesvara and fourteen Padmapanis. Amid six Manjusris, his figure of Siddhaikavira, Manjughosa, Vajraraga and Sthirachakra are represented by single example while rest two make known his Manjuvara form.

However, at Sirpur, from previous accumulate (Srivastava 1984; 46, 5253) only Avalokitesvara Padmapani, Manjusri and Vajrapani form of Bodhisattva were known so far. Present hoard yields a great number and variety of Boddhisattva images.

The identification and main features of the present thirty-one Bodhisattva images, on the basis of iconographical features, is as under:

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