Bharhut

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bharhut

Relief from Bharhut.

Shown within India Madhya Pradesh
Basic information
Location  India
Geographic coordinates 24°10′N 80°31′E / 24.16°N 80.51°E / 24.16; 80.51Coordinates: 24°10′N 80°31′E / 24.16°N 80.51°E / 24.16; 80.51
Affiliation Buddhism
State Madhya Pradesh
District Satna
Year consecrated 2300 B.C.
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Stupa ruins present
Status Artifacts Removed

Bharhut (Hindi: भरहुत), is a location in Satna district in Madhya Pradesh, Central India, known for famous relics from a Buddhist stupa. The Bharhut sculptures represent some of the earliest examples of Indian and Buddhist art.

The Bharhut stupa may have been established by the Maurya king Asoka in the 3rd century BCE, but many works of art were apparently added during the Sunga period, with many friezes from the 2nd century BCE. An epigraph on the gateway mentions its erection "during the supremacy of the Sungas"[1] by Vatsiputra Dhanabhuti.[2]

The ruined stupa is still at Bharhut, however, the gateways and railings were dismantled and reassembled at the Indian Museum, Kolkata. They contain numerous birth stories of the Buddha's previous lives, or Jataka tales. Many of them are in the shape of large, round medallions. Two of the panels are at the Smithsonian.[3]

In conformity with the early aniconic phase of Buddhist art, the Buddha is only represented through symbols, such as the Dharma wheel, the Bodhi tree, an empty seat, footprints, or the triratana symbol.

The style represents the earliest phase of Indian art, and all characters are depicted wearing the Indian dhoti, except for one foreigner, thought to be an Indo-Greek soldier, with Buddhist symbolism. The Bharhut carvings are slightly earlier than the Sanchi carvings and the earlier Ajanta frescos.

An unusual feature of Bharhut panels is the inclusion of text in the narrative panels, often identifying the individuals.[4]

Alexander Cunningham visited Bharhut in 1873 and excavated the site in 1874.[5] His assistant J. D. Beglar continued the excavation in 1874, and also took many photographs.

The complex at Bharhut included a medieval temple (plate II), containing a colossal figure of Buddha, along with fragments of sculptures showing Buddha with images of Brahma, Indra etc.[6] Beglar also photographed a 10th-century Buddhist Sanskrit inscription,[7] about which now nothing is known. All the archaeological objects from the stupa have been moved to Calcutta's Indian Museum.[2] No antiquities exist at Bharhut now.

Inscriptions

The inscriptions found at Bharhut are of considerable significance on tracing the history of early Indian Buddhism and Buddhist art. 136 inscriptions mention the donors. These include individuals from Vidisha, Purika (a town somewhere in the Vindhya mountains), Patliputra (Bihar), Karhad (Maharashtra), Bhojakata (Vidarbha), Maharashtra, Kosambi (UP), Nasik (Maharashtra). 82 inscriptions serve as labels for panels depicting the Jatakas, life of Buddha, former Manushi Buddhas, other stories and Yakshas and Yakshinis.[4]

  • Yakshi reliefs. Bharhut, 2nd century BCE.

  • Vedika pillar with Greek warrior. Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh, Sunga Period, c.100-80BC. Reddish brown sandstone.[1]Indian Museum, Calcutta (drawing).

  • The ruined Bharhut Stupa, seen in back is the lal pahadi (red mountain)

  • The Yaksha relief at Bharhut is being worshipped as Hanuman by local villagers

  • The descent of Buddha

  • Mideveal Buddha image

  • Bharhut excavation

  • Anathapindaka illustration

  • inscriptions

  • inscriptions

  • inscriptions

  • inscriptions


Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ John Marshall, "An Historical and Artistic Description of Sanchi", from A Guide to Sanchi, citing p. 11. Calcutta: Superintendent, Government Printing (1918). Pp. 7-29 on line, Project South Asia.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 BHARHUT GALLERY, Indian National Committee of the International Council of Museums
  3. ↑ The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art, Buddhist art of India
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 CORPUS INSCRIPTION INDICARUM, VOL. II, PART II, BHARHUT INSCRIPTIONS EDITED BY H. Luders, REVISED BY E. Waldschmidt and M. A. Mehendale GOVERNMENT EPIGRAPHIST FOR INDIA OOTACAMUND, 1963 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA
  5. ↑ Sir Alexander Cunningham The Stûpa of Bharhut: a Buddhist monument ornamented with numerous sculptures illustrative of Buddhist legend and history in the third century B.C. London: W. H. Allen, 1879.
  6. ↑ General view of remains of Buddhist temple of later date than the Stupa, Bharhut, British Library
  7. ↑ Photograph of a slab with a Buddhist sanskrit inscription

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bharhut.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.