The three Buddha figures here each have a lotus throne. Pala dynasty, Eastern India, c. 1000.
The precise form varies, but is intended to represent the opening flower of Nelumbo nucifera, the Indian lotus. In the traditional biographies lotus flowers sprung up at the Buddha's first seven steps, and in some Buddhist legends the baby Padmasambhava emerged from a lotus flower. The Indian lotus is an aquatic plant similar to a water lily, though not actually any close relation. It has a large, round, and flat seed head in the centre of the flower, with initially small openings above each of the relatively small number of seeds. Among other unusual characteristics, nelumbo nucifera has particular properties of repelling water, known as the lotus effect or ultrahydrophobicity. Among other symbolic meanings, it rises above the water environment it lives in, and is not contaminated by it, so providing a model for Buddhists.[2] According to the Pali Canon, the Buddha himself began this often-repeated metaphor, in the Aṅguttara Nikāya, saying that the lotus flower raises from the muddy water unstained, as he raises from this world, free from the defilements taught in the sutra.[3]
In Sanskrit the throne is called either a padmāsana (Sanskrit: पद्मासन, [pɐdmaːsɐnɐ], āsana is the name for a seated position), which is also the name for the Lotus position in meditation and yoga, or padmapitha,[4]padma meaning lotus and pitha a base or plinth.[5]
The earliest of the Vedas, the Rigveda, describes the other gods watching the birth of Agni, the god of fire, seated on lotus flowers; also the birth of Vasishtha.[6] In Hindu myth, the major deity Brahma emerged from a lotus growing from the navel of Vishnu.[7]
In art the form is first seen as a base for rare early images of Laxmi from the 2nd century BCE; many or most of these may have a Buddhist context.[8] However it first becomes common with seated Buddha figures in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara around the late 2nd or the 3rd century CE.[9] It may have reached the Deccan as early as the end of the 2nd century.[10] At some point, probably around 200, and before his death in about 250, the Buddhist thinker Nagarjuna exhorted an unknown Buddhist monarch, very probably in the Deccan, to:
– suggesting this iconography was current by then. It is not clear from the language whether sculptures or paintings, or both, were meant.[12]
In early Buddhist art it may be intended to specifically depict the second of the Twin Miracles in the legend of the Buddha's life. In some accounts of this, when engaged in a contest with sorcerers, the Buddha multiplied himself into other bodies, which sat or stood on lotus flowers.[13] It became used for other Buddhist figures, and adopted for other Hindu deities than Lakshmi.
FormEdit
The throne in art evolved to be rather distant from the actual plant. In historic sculpture there is very often a clear dividing line about halfway up; this type is called a "double-lotus" (vishvapadma) pedestal or throne.[14] Most often petal shapes both rise and fall from the dividing line, but sometimes the upper part of the throne represents the prominent flat-topped seed head as a base for the figure, perhaps with circles for the holes holding the seeds, as in maturing lotus heads.[15] The bingdi lotus is a particular strain with two back-to-back flowers on each stem, but it is not clear if this influenced the form in art. In East Asian paintings, and also modern Hindu paintings, the lotus throne is often depicted more realistically in terms of its shape (not its size).
The Buddha's mother, Queen Maya, lustrated by elephants. Sanchi, Stupa 3 gateway, probably 1st century CE
The vast majority of lotus thrones just depict an isolated flower or a group of flowers under different figures. But some images depict more of the plant. A famous relief of Gaja-Laxmi in Cave 16 at Ellora shows a pond of lotus leaves and budding flowers as a vertical panel below the throne.[17]
Other compositions show stalks, buds and flowers reaching up beside a main figure.[18] These may terminate in a flower held by the main figure,[19] especially if it is Avalokitesvara or from the 5th or 6th century Vishnu, (both also having the epithet Padmapani, "lotus holder"),[20] or in another lotus throne behind the hand, if it is outstretched in a mudra. Alternatively, stalks may climb up to support lotus thrones underneath minor, smaller, figures, as in the early terracotta plaque illustrated above, where stalks rise at the side to support the elephants lustrating Gaja-Laxmi. This is seen in the 1st century BCE terracotta plaque illustrated above.[21] The Sanchi stone relief illustrated here shows a similar composition with Queen Maya, mother of the Buddha. Above or below the water, the stems may be supported by small naga figures.[22]
The lotus plant in lotus thrones is often imagined as growing out of the cosmic ocean, and a few images represent the plant below the water level, with a stem also representing the world axis.[23]
^Lerner & Kossak, Nos. 133, 139, 140; Hāṇḍā, Omacanda, Gaddi Land in Chamba: Its History, Art & Culture : New Light on the Early Wooden Temples, 78–79, 2005, Indus Publishing, ISBN8173871744, 9788173871740, google books
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lotus throne.
Coomaraswamy, Ananda, Elements of Buddhist Iconography, Harvard University Press, 1935, online text
Jansen, Eva Rudy, The Book of Hindu Imagery: The Gods and their Symbols, 1993, Binkey Kok Publications, ISBN9074597076, 9789074597074, google books
Krishan, Yuvrajmm, Tadikonda, Kalpana K., The Buddha Image: Its Origin and Development, 1996, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ISBN8121505658, 9788121505659, google books
Lerner, Martin and Kossak, Steven, The Lotus Transcendent: Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Samuel Eilenberg Collection, 1991, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), ISBN0870996134, 9780870996139, google books
Michell, George (1990), The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, 1990, Penguin Books, ISBN0140081445
Moore, Albert C., Klein, Charlotte, Iconography of Religions: An Introduction, 1977, Chris Robertson, ISBN0800604881, 9780800604882, google books
Pal, Pratapaditya, Indian Sculpture: Circa 500 B.C.-A.D. 700, Volume 1 of Indian Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection, 1986, Los Angeles County Museum of Art/University of California Press, ISBN0520059913, 9780520059917, google books
Rodrigues, H, "The Sacred Lotus Symbol", Mahavidya, 2016
Walser, Joseph, Nagarjuna in Context: Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture, 2005, Columbia University Press, ISBN0231506236, 9780231506236, google books
October 26, 2023
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The lotus throne sometimes called lotus platform is a stylized lotus flower used as the seat or base for a figure in art associated with Indian religions It is the normal pedestal for divine figures in Buddhist art and Hindu art and often seen in Jain art 1 Originating in Indian art it followed Indian religions to East Asia in particular The three Buddha figures here each have a lotus throne Pala dynasty Eastern India c 1000 The precise form varies but is intended to represent the opening flower of Nelumbo nucifera the Indian lotus In the traditional biographies lotus flowers sprung up at the Buddha s first seven steps and in some Buddhist legends the baby Padmasambhava emerged from a lotus flower The Indian lotus is an aquatic plant similar to a water lily though not actually any close relation It has a large round and flat seed head in the centre of the flower with initially small openings above each of the relatively small number of seeds Among other unusual characteristics nelumbo nucifera has particular properties of repelling water known as the lotus effect or ultrahydrophobicity Among other symbolic meanings it rises above the water environment it lives in and is not contaminated by it so providing a model for Buddhists 2 According to the Pali Canon the Buddha himself began this often repeated metaphor in the Aṅguttara Nikaya saying that the lotus flower raises from the muddy water unstained as he raises from this world free from the defilements taught in the sutra 3 In Sanskrit the throne is called either a padmasana Sanskrit पद म सन pɐdmaːsɐnɐ asana is the name for a seated position which is also the name for the Lotus position in meditation and yoga or padmapitha 4 padma meaning lotus and pitha a base or plinth 5 Contents 1 History 2 Form 3 Representing the whole plant 4 Notes 5 ReferencesHistory EditThe earliest of the Vedas the Rigveda describes the other gods watching the birth of Agni the god of fire seated on lotus flowers also the birth of Vasishtha 6 In Hindu myth the major deity Brahma emerged from a lotus growing from the navel of Vishnu 7 nbsp Flower of nelumbo nucifera the Indian lotus its colour range is from white to redIn art the form is first seen as a base for rare early images of Laxmi from the 2nd century BCE many or most of these may have a Buddhist context 8 However it first becomes common with seated Buddha figures in the Greco Buddhist art of Gandhara around the late 2nd or the 3rd century CE 9 It may have reached the Deccan as early as the end of the 2nd century 10 At some point probably around 200 and before his death in about 250 the Buddhist thinker Nagarjuna exhorted an unknown Buddhist monarch very probably in the Deccan to Please construct from all precious substancesImages of Buddha with fine proportionsWell designed and sitting on lotuses 11 suggesting this iconography was current by then It is not clear from the language whether sculptures or paintings or both were meant 12 In early Buddhist art it may be intended to specifically depict the second of the Twin Miracles in the legend of the Buddha s life In some accounts of this when engaged in a contest with sorcerers the Buddha multiplied himself into other bodies which sat or stood on lotus flowers 13 It became used for other Buddhist figures and adopted for other Hindu deities than Lakshmi Form EditThe throne in art evolved to be rather distant from the actual plant In historic sculpture there is very often a clear dividing line about halfway up this type is called a double lotus vishvapadma pedestal or throne 14 Most often petal shapes both rise and fall from the dividing line but sometimes the upper part of the throne represents the prominent flat topped seed head as a base for the figure perhaps with circles for the holes holding the seeds as in maturing lotus heads 15 The bingdi lotus is a particular strain with two back to back flowers on each stem but it is not clear if this influenced the form in art In East Asian paintings and also modern Hindu paintings the lotus throne is often depicted more realistically in terms of its shape not its size nbsp Gaja Laxmi 1st century BCE terracotta 14 61 cm tall 16 nbsp Gold dinar coin of Chandragupta II reigned c 375 c 415 CE nbsp Restrained double lotus throne typical of Chola bronzes when they have them at all Shiva Nataraja 10th century nbsp Double thrones under Parvati 11th century nbsp Guanyin 12th century Japan nbsp Apart from the three figures the pendent foot of this 12th century Tibetan Mahakala has its own throne nbsp Krishna the butter thief ivory 16th century India nbsp Fancy coloured Buddhist throne under Mahakala Ladakh nbsp Single lotus throne under Gaja Laxmi with side stalks and buds Odisha 18th century nbsp Raja Ravi Varma Goddess Lakshmi 1896Representing the whole plant Edit nbsp The Buddha s mother Queen Maya lustrated by elephants Sanchi Stupa 3 gateway probably 1st century CEThe vast majority of lotus thrones just depict an isolated flower or a group of flowers under different figures But some images depict more of the plant A famous relief of Gaja Laxmi in Cave 16 at Ellora shows a pond of lotus leaves and budding flowers as a vertical panel below the throne 17 nbsp Burmese wood and lacquer Buddha 11th centuryOther compositions show stalks buds and flowers reaching up beside a main figure 18 These may terminate in a flower held by the main figure 19 especially if it is Avalokitesvara or from the 5th or 6th century Vishnu both also having the epithet Padmapani lotus holder 20 or in another lotus throne behind the hand if it is outstretched in a mudra Alternatively stalks may climb up to support lotus thrones underneath minor smaller figures as in the early terracotta plaque illustrated above where stalks rise at the side to support the elephants lustrating Gaja Laxmi This is seen in the 1st century BCE terracotta plaque illustrated above 21 The Sanchi stone relief illustrated here shows a similar composition with Queen Maya mother of the Buddha Above or below the water the stems may be supported by small naga figures 22 The lotus plant in lotus thrones is often imagined as growing out of the cosmic ocean and a few images represent the plant below the water level with a stem also representing the world axis 23 Notes Edit Pal 39 Pal 39 42 Coomaraswamy 21 Krishan amp Tadikonda 65 Rodrigues Pal 39 40 Coomaraswamy 21 the texts are AN 10 81 Bahuna suttaṃ AN 4 36 Doṇa suttaṃ Jansen 18 Pal 45 Coomaraswamy 18 19 Pal 40 Pal 40 Coomaraswamy 22 Krishan amp Tadikonda 78 note 89 Moore amp Klein 149 Krishan amp Tadikonda 65 Pal 41 Walser 80 87 Walser 80 86 87 for the date Walser 81 83 Krishan amp Tadikonda 67 Lerner amp Kossak Nos 68 84 88 89 92 94 97 101 for vishvapadma 110 111 113 etc Lerner amp Kossak Nos 133 139 140 Haṇḍa Omacanda Gaddi Land in Chamba Its History Art amp Culture New Light on the Early Wooden Temples 78 79 2005 Indus Publishing ISBN 8173871744 9788173871740 google books Pal 40 Michell 362 Lerner amp Kossak Nos 116 117 119 Pal 39 Pal 41 Pal 40 Coomaraswamy 53 Coomaraswamy 20 53 55References Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lotus throne Coomaraswamy Ananda Elements of Buddhist Iconography Harvard University Press 1935 online text Jansen Eva Rudy The Book of Hindu Imagery The Gods and their Symbols 1993 Binkey Kok Publications ISBN 9074597076 9789074597074 google books Krishan Yuvrajmm Tadikonda Kalpana K The Buddha Image Its Origin and Development 1996 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan ISBN 8121505658 9788121505659 google books Lerner Martin and Kossak Steven The Lotus Transcendent Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Samuel Eilenberg Collection 1991 Metropolitan Museum of Art New York N Y ISBN 0870996134 9780870996139 google books Michell George 1990 The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India Volume 1 Buddhist Jain Hindu 1990 Penguin Books ISBN 0140081445 Moore Albert C Klein Charlotte Iconography of Religions An Introduction 1977 Chris Robertson ISBN 0800604881 9780800604882 google books Pal Pratapaditya Indian Sculpture Circa 500 B C A D 700 Volume 1 of Indian Sculpture A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection 1986 Los Angeles County Museum of Art University of California Press ISBN 0520059913 9780520059917 google books Rodrigues H The Sacred Lotus Symbol Mahavidya 2016 Walser Joseph Nagarjuna in Context Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture 2005 Columbia University Press ISBN 0231506236 9780231506236 google books Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lotus throne amp oldid 1173044518, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
