Buddhist relief (India, Satavahana dynasty 1st-3rd century). Dates back to the 1st century CE. From the Sanchi stupa, used as a religious symbol and depiction of worship (48x40x9cm).
Brief Identification[]
Currently housed in Berlin at the Humboldt Forum, this first century CE carving depicts a Buddhist stupa surrounded by Buddhist followers. Stupa's were important sites of religious practices and burials for Buddhist during this time (Rawat and Hameed, 2019, 123). The original stupa in which this artifact was housed, was created during the time of Emperor Asoka of the Mauryan dynasty, who was a devout Buddhist (Britannica, "Ashoka"). The sandstone plate comes from Sanchi, India created during the Satavahana dynasty 3 centuries after Asoka's reign. This relief was apart of the handrailing along the stairs, and is a decoration that portrays those in worship, caring for the stupa (Humboldt Forum, "Southeast and Central Asia"). Stupas like the one seen in the carving originated around the time of the Buddhas death 2,500 years ago, and are used for worship as well as storing Buddhist artifacts.
Technical Evaluation[]
This carving and many others like it would have been uniquely produced by the Buddhists of the Mauryan and Satavahana dynasties to decorate their stupas. The entire relief is made of sandstone from the region which would have come from the Sanchi or Nagouri hills (Humboldt Forum, "Southwest and Central Asia";Marshall, 2019, 10). Artifacts including the stupa, are formed of different colors of sandstone that is delicate but easy to "hammer-dress", which involves breaking away at the stone with a hammer (Marshall 1982, 11). It would likely have been the method of obtaining a rough outline, while the stupa and figures were carved with chisels (Marshall, 1982, 10, 23). While this was not particularly advanced for the time, it took great masonry and time, sometimes generations, to create a finished product (Marshall, 1982, 10). The hammer-dressing technique was used on the sandstone for the foundations, slabs and plinths all over the stupa (Marshall, 1982, 11). Differing colors of grey with hints purple, brown, white, and pink can be seen within the stone from the hills of Sanchi and Nagouri (Marshall, 1982, 11-12).
Workers were able to locally source all of this sandstone from the many surrounding hills which are full of these colorful sandstones (Marshall, 1982 , 11). The grey-white and pinkish sandstone was sourced from the nearby hill of Nagouri and is of softer texture than the brittle sandstone found on the Sanchi hill (Marshall, 1982, 11). The particular relief in the picture was discovered as a part of the railing decorations in the Great Sanchi Stupa (Humboldt Forum, "Southeast and Central Asia"). Many reliefs were placed all around the four entrances of the stupa, facing roughly the "cardinal directions" (Marshall, 1982, 19). Art surrounding stupas, as well as art on the insides, was not limited to the color of sandstone on which they were constructed as paintings appear on railings, walls, and entrances (Marshall 1982, 23).
A dating of the first century CE is significantly newer than the time of Asoka, (3rd Century BCE) who likely commissioned the stupa's construction. The original construction by Asoka was done with mainly brick, while a more grand expansion of the stupa including the stone we see in the relief today was done in the first century (Rawat and Hameed, 2019, 121). A part of the expansion includes the creation of the relief in the picture which was done around the first century CE under new rule of the Satavahana (Humboldt Forum, "Southwest and Central Asia"). The discovery of the stupa was not until the year 1818 when General Henry Taylor came across the site during British occupation (Britannica, "Great Stupa"). Artifacts were taken from the Sanchi site before the official excavation began in 1881, with many ending up in museums across Europe (Marshall, 1982 , 8).
Local Historical Context[]
The origin of the Sanchi stupa began during the reign of the Emperor Asoka (3rd century BCE) during the Mauryan empire. (Marshall, 1982 , 2). The continued expansion was done by the Satavahana around the first century (Rawat and Hameed, 2019 , 121). After the fall of the Mauryans's, the Satavahana rose to power after defeating the Kanvas, taking control of Central India (Sharma, 2007). The most notable of the Satavahana leaders was Gautamiputra Satakarni, who claimed to have created the four fold varna system and to be of the brahmana religion (Sharma, 2007). Satavahana leaders were deified and seen as supernatural forces and figures in society, which gave them great importance (Sharma, 2007). The Mauryan and Satavahana people were heavily involved in Buddhism, even though the Satavahana leaders themselves were not Buddhist, they still maintained Buddhist structures and even introduced tax exemptions for the Buddhist communities (Sharma, 2007).
During the time of the Satavahana there was a considerable number of merchants and artisans due to the "increasing craft and commerce" industry in the region (Sharma, 2007). Buddhism still had a large number of followers from the previous Mauryan empire particularly in the "artesian class" which greatly influenced their presence in Satavahana culture, hence the creation of the artifact above (Sharma, 2007). Many merchants named themselves after the village they came from and contributed to Buddhism with "memorial tables" (Sharma, 2007). In Satavahana society, the father had "greater importance" than the mother, while northern princes belonged to a "patriarchal society" (Sharma, 2007). By the mid 1200's, Buddhism is thought to have died out in central India giving way to Hinduism (Marshall 1982, 7). Untouched for almost 600 years, the Sanchi was in amazing condition when rediscovered by General Henry Taylor in 1818 (Marshall 1982, 7).
The round dome represents "cosmic order" of the universe and its connection to the place where the stupa is built (Gregory et al. 1986, 6). The central axis of the dome positions it from the four cardinal points to allow "the unity of space-time" and lets worshippers the perform the "rite of sunwise circumambulation" (Gregory et al. 1986, 39). The specific image carved into the sandstone is a depiction of worship that was carved as a part of the stairs inside the Sanchi stupa (Humboldt Forum, "Southeast and Central Asia"). It would have been apart of the many reliefs placed all around the stupa dedicated to its significance of the universe (Gregory et al. 1986, 39). The carving is a dedication to Buddha and his teachings represented by the stupa as the men in the carving lay flower garlands on the top. Heavy presence of Buddhism in the region during the Satavahana dynasty lead the empire to further fund updates for stupas (Sharma, 2007). The creation of the relief and even a total remodel of the original brick building show how influential Buddhism remained over time in India (Marshall, 1982, 19). Overall, the relief is a depiction of the devotion to Buddha's teachings in the form of the stupa.
World Historical Significance[]
While there are many carvings surrounding stupas and other important Buddhist sites, they are all individually important in understanding the culture of the people who created them. Religions around the world use similar depictions of important religious figures, places, and monuments to exhibit the importance of such things. Examples like a church with stained glass windows displaying important Christian figures, or the Greeks and Romans who were very fond of building statues for their Gods. Expansion of the Macedonian's can even be seen in some of the art work in Sanchi as Hellenistic culture blends with traditional Indian beliefs (Marshall, 1982, 69). "Bell-shaped capitals" and "lustrous polish" is indication that Persian and Hellenistic influence had reached the Satavahana dynasty (Marshall 1982, 90). The evidence of this collaboration helps researchers understand the influences and connection between different cultures and how it shaped the artifacts we see today.
The transfer of Buddhism across trade routes into China during the Han dynasty spread the religion to new regions, which is seen by the Buddhist art in China (Wu Hung, 1986, 264). These long range trade routes allowed a rapid growth of Buddhism in China, but the relief above was likely not one to be traded as it was found inside of the Sanchi holy site in India. Although similar, Buddhist art in China is typically a display of the Buddha himself or a humanized version of his enlightenment (Chaffin, 2022). The art found in the Sanchi stupa shows how the Satavahana turn nonphysical things into physical depictions like "cosmic order" being the stupa's dome. This illustrates a difference in the religious interpretation between two cultures under the same religion. Instead of a monument or carving of a holy building, Buddhist art in China has been known to include a "figure" of the Buddha himself (Hang, 1986, 266). While some images differ on the depiction or placement, Buddhist carvings share a common theme of worship and dedication to Buddhist teachings.
Bibliography[]
Chaffin, Cortney, "Buddhism in Chinese Art (2nd century through 907 C.E.)," March 4, 2022d https://smarthistory.org/reframing-art-history/buddhism-chinese-art/
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Hang, Wu. Buddhist Elements in Early Chinese Art. Vol. 47, Artibus Asiae, 1986.
Marshall, John. The Monuments of Sanchi. Swati Publications, 1982.
Rawat, Brijesh, and Muhammad Hameed, Origin and Development of Buddha Stupa: An Overview of Textual Narratives. Ancient Punjab, 2019.
Sharma, R. The Satavahana Phase: India’s Ancient Past, Oxford: Oxford Academic, 2007,
Tiwary, Sanchin, Sanchi: Before Today (in Light of Nagauri Quarry and Factory Site), Valencia: Valencia Polytechnic University, 2013
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Britannica Online, “Stupa" www.britannica.com/topic/stupa.
Humboldt Forum, "Asian Art" sammlungenonline.humboldtforum.org/en/object-catalogue/166469-verehrung-eines-stupa
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