Buddhist Art

This course considers the purpose and function of Buddhist art by examining the role of Buddhist images in situ. How are images used in religious practices, and how do assemblies of images create and define the devotional space? We begin with early archaeological sites in northern India from second century B.C.E, follow Buddhism's paths of dissemination to Central Asia and China, and conclude with temples in the Himalayas that are still in active use today. Major sites of study include stupas of Sanchi and Amaravati, cave shrines of Ajanta, Bamiyan, Dunhuang, Yungang, Longmen, Xiangtangshan, and Dazu, monastic complexes at Wutai Shan, Alchi, and Tabo, as well as temples in the Potala Palace and the Forbidden Palace. Topics to be covered include representations of the lives of the Buddha, veneration of relics and reliquaries, visualization of scriptures, portraits of saints and eminent masters, mapping of Buddhist cosmology, and manifestations of divine kingship.