Book Excerpt: Art, too, flourished in Nalanda
Book Title: Nalanda: How it Changed the World
Author: Abhay K
By the fifth century CE, Nalanda had become a major centre of art. Artworks produced at Nalanda had features of both Mathura and Sarnath with some local touch, which later evolved into its own distinct Nalanda School of Art during the Pala period by the eighth century CE and had a significant influence on the art of the east and southeast Asian countries.
‘Japanese pilgrim, the monk Ennin, noted that five of the esoteric images of Buddha in the Jinge Monastery on Mount Wutai were modelled on images from Nalanda, possibly based on the statues brought from there by Wu Zetian.’
The artworks produced at Nalanda can be divided into stucco, metal (bronze) and stone, depicting mainly Mahayana and Vajrayana deities.
Stucco Art
Stucco is mainly a mixture of lime, sand and mud, and occasionally gypsum, which is used mainly in the monasteries by the Buddhist monks for ‘ornamentation, sculpting and as a finishing material, traces of which is evident at Site No. 01, 12 and 13 and in great detail at Site No. 03 at the excavated remains of Nalanda Mahavihara. Stucco art of Nalanda shows a high degree of finesse and syncretism between the iconography developed in the Sarnath School with themes of the Gandhara School. The finest example of such a fusion are the panels in the 5th layer of Site No. 3 depicting the Dipankara Jataka and Rahula’s inheritance which show the assimilation of Gandhara themes with Sarnath features in stucco.’
‘Another characteristic development in the stucco art of Nalanda is the initiation of elaboration of the Buddhist pantheon. This can be noted in the increased number of Bodhisattvas accompanying the Buddha with their own retinues. With the gradual elaboration in rituals, these figures (Bodhisattvas and their retinue) received further definition gaining a distinct form during the Mature Pala period (10th -11th century CE).’
As per Xuanzang, the colossal stucco images of Buddha as high as eighty feet were installed in the sanctum of the chaityas at Nalanda Mahavihara, only remains of which are visible today. The eastern surface of the fifth layer of construction of the Great Stupa is adorned by scenes from Buddha’s life and Jatakas with Bodhisattvas and a figure of Tara are finest examples of stucco art in Nalanda. Nalanda stucco is known to have influenced Buddhist art practices in Thailand.
Stone Art at Nalanda
Nalanda was a major centre of Mahayana Buddhism, and as a result, the local manufacturing included stone sculptures of the Buddha accompanied by the Bodhisattvas and goddesses like Tara and Vajrasharda. The established Sarnath school blended with the local art traditions of Magadha, and sculptures that were done in stucco were now replicated in stone, such as the Buddha standing in Abhay-mudra.
This transition from Mahayana to Vajrayana is visible in the stone sculptures of Nalanda where new Buddhist deities appear with deep and refined carving. ‘The figures on the other hand are comparatively less fleshy, slender, sometimes covered with a diaphanous drapery, tauter in appearance and stand in a tribhanga posture. This period also ushered in a new representation of the Buddha, depicted with a diadem or crown. This is considered an achievement of Nalanda artists’.
Most stone sculptures of the later Pala period are inscribed and hence are paleographically dateable. As per the Archaeological Survey of India report (1916–2001), a large number of miniature stone figurines used for veneration were found from the monks’ cells of the Mahavihara. These images included statues of Buddha, Bodhisattvas and panels depicting Buddha’s life.
Nalanda Bronzes (eighth–twelfth century CE)
Metal art was prevalent in Magadha as the region is marked by inexhaustible sources of ore contributing to this art-form. The Pala dynasty facilitated easier and safer access to the copper deposits in Ghatshila in present day Jharkhand.
During the excavations of the ruins of Nalanda Mahavihara, over five hundred small bronze images dated eighth century or later, depicting the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, such as Avalokiteshwara and Manjushri, were found in the rooms of the monks, establishing Nalanda as a flourishing centre of metal works, especially bronze, during the Pala period (eighth–twelfth century CE). These bronze images have been kept at the Nalanda Museum, the Patna Museum, the National Museum and the Indian Museum Kolkata.
‘Metallurgy (bronze) as an art-form was an integral part of the Mahavihara`s curriculum. This is indicated by the presence of a brick-lined smelting furnace to the north of Site No. 13 and a large volume of metal figures recovered during excavation. These figures represent a range of deities of the Buddhist pantheon and show a distinct quality of casting technique and show careful syncretism of stucco and stone practices replicated in metal. Spanning between the 7th and 12th centuries CE, the metal art of Nalanda reached its zenith in the 12th century CE, and its pieces were carried to distant kingdoms of the Malayan archipelago, Tibet, and China by the scholars who studied at Nalanda. They carried back with them several pieces of metal figures, possibly because, compared to stone and stucco images, metal ones were less susceptible to disintegration.’
Debjani Paul writes that although Nalanda bronzes lacked smoothness, they were often studded with semi-precious stones, which later became the norm of the bronze images produced in the Himalayan countries (Paul, 1987). The images had slender bodies, elongated limbs, a large head, slit eyes, and shallow cheeks, although the facial expressions and the robe draping had the influence of the Sarnath School. ‘One of the earliest examples of Nalanda metal art is a figure of the Buddha in standing posture. Its elongated proportions, flat cheeks, large facial features, and bold expressions give the figure a boyish expression, showing all the classic features of Nalanda metal art dating to the 7th-8th centuries CE.’
Tibetan historian Taranatha mentions in his book titled ‘History of Buddhism in India’, written in 1608, Dhiman and Bhitpala, father and son who were skilled artists during the reign of Pala kings Dharmapala and Devapala. They are considered as the founders of bronze metallurgy in Nalanda.
Taranath writes in his book: ‘In the time of King Dharmapala, there lived in Varendra an exceedingly skillful artist named Dhiman, whose son was Bhitpala; both of them produced many works in cast metal, as well as sculptures and paintings, which resembled the works of the Nagas. The father and son gave rise to distinct schools.’
Nalanda bronzes are said to have influenced the Javanese culture of Indonesia. AJ Bernet Kempers in his book ‘The Bronzes of Nalanda and Hindu-Javanese Art’ examines their cultural influence over the art of Java. The Malay Inscription of Srivijaya, found at Talang Tuwo dated 684 CE, has some Mahayanist terms which belong to the Vajrayana tradition at Nalanda Mahavihara, as per the French historian George Coedes. The Chinese traveller Yijing visited Srivijaya in 671 CE for six months during his journey to Nalanda from China and back. In fact, the Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya was used as a transit port by all the travellers from East Asia who visited Nalanda via the southern sea route. Its booming maritime trade with China and other South and South-East Asian countries must have facilitated easy maritime links with these countries.
Nalanda with its long-standing links with the Malay archipelago, exercised a great influence on its cultural and religious life, including its art.
— Excerpted with permission from Penguin Random House