Brahma (Beomcheon) at the center accompanied by celestial musicians. Painting. Color on silk (215.9 cm x 221.0 cm). Late 16th century A.D. Joseon period / Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York



By Jaydeep Sarkar



Buddhist art is a major area of interest in Asian art studies.



With its beginning in ancient India, the propagation of Mahayana Buddhism to the present day Central Asia, China, Korea and then to Japan created Buddhist art styles of wide variety.



Buddhism was introduced to Korean peninsula in the 4th century A.D. Buddhism largely enjoyed patronage of Korean ruling class until Joseon dynasty (1392 - 1910 A.D.) embraced Neo-Confucianism. In this period, many Buddhist temples and establishments moved out to the rural areas and to the mountains.



As a result, Buddhist temples and art depended on the funding and ideas of ordinary people.



As against royal preferences, Buddhist temples took into account ordinary people's preferences in making religious art and welcomed their greater participation. People responded by sharing their ideas and offered gifts for gaining merits. Collaborations between the temples and the locals produced impressive wooden sculptures of Budhhas, Bodhisattvas, arahats and other divinities for worshipping.



People also supported projects that produced sacred images other than Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and arahats. For example, significant emphasis was placed on various Hindu deities that were lately incorporated into the Mahayana Buddhist deities. They are often addressed as guardian deities. Their Sanskrit and Korean names (in parenthesis) are Indra (Joseokcheon), Brahma (Beomcheon) and Skanda (Witaecheon). These deities were venerated by Buddhists for protecting their countries from natural disasters, diseases and evil forces.





Indra (Joseokcheon) on the left and Brahma (Beomcheon) on the right. Wooden sculptures. Late Joseon period. Cheonggoksa Temple near Jinju city, S. Korea / Photo by Jaydeep Sarkar