nindasi yajñavidherahaha śṛtijātam

sadaya hṛdaya darṣita paśu ghātam|

keśava dhṛta buddha śarīra

jaya jagadiśa hare ||

“O Keshava, Lord of the Worlds! You incarnated as Buddha and, with a heart full of kindness, condemned the animal sacrifices prescribed in the Vedas. Victory to you, O Hari!”

Thus sings Jayadeva, in his epic poem Gita Govinda. This verse appears in the dashavatara stotra in the first chapter.

He ends the stotra with a verse than encapsulates all the incarnations. For the Buddha he mentions ‘kāruṇyamātanvate ’ meaning the one who showered compassion.

The above sketch is from the Madhava temple in the Prachi valley, Odisha. It is the same region from where Jayadeva kavi hailed from and is of also of the same time frame of 1200 AD. By then the Buddha, it seems, was incorporated as the avataras of Vishnu. Here, he is shown along with the emblems of the chakra and the shanka (discus and conch).

Although, the Buddha was included as one of the 10 avataras (or incarnations) of Vishnu, as mentioned in the Puranas, (namely the Vishnu, the Bhagavata, the Garuda, the Agni, the Narada, the Linga, the Padma Puranas and the Harivamsha), he was not favoured. In fact, very little importance has been attached to him. The depiction of the Buddha in sculptures, as the incarnation of Vishnu appears only after the Gupta period. And unlike the other popular avataras like that of the Varaha, the Narasimha or the later ones like Rama and Krishna which find individual representations, the last two of the avataras of the Buddha and Kalki do not. They are usually depicted only in panels as accompanied by the other avataras.

The above image is a detail from a larger sculpture of Narasimha from the Hoysala period (approx 1117 AD) showing the last three of the avataras. The last two are clearly the Buddha, with just two hands and the equestrian Kalki.

The Buddha is commonly represented as standing with his right hand raised in assurance. According to the Agni Purana:

śāntātmā lamba karṇaśca gaurāṅgaścāmbarāvṛtaḥ |

ūrdhva padma sthito buddho varadābhayadāyakaḥ ||

He is to be depicted as being benign and calm, long ears and a halo behind him. Fair in complexion and draped in clothing, he is seated on a high lotus pedestal with his hands in the abhaya and varada mudras.

The Brhatsamhita says:

padmāṅkita kara caraṇaḥ prasanna mūrtiḥ sunītakĕśaśca |

padmāsanaupaviṣtaḥ pitā iva jagato bhavati (bhavet) buddhaḥ ||

He should have the palms and soles marked with lotus, peaceful in appearance and his hair short or well arranged; he should be seated on a lotus seat and should appear as the father of the whole world. The puranas do mention that the Buddha is never to be depicted without any of the Vaishnava emblems (most commonly the discus or conch). Although, these form the canons of iconography, there are always exceptions (for example, the sketch above is an example).

By the time, these texts were written/composed, the images of the Buddha had already become popular. And as the Buddha was depicted without any emblems, the iconographers faced the problem of adapting the already existing iconography. And if it were to be changed, it would be as redefining or even recreating an icon. The Agni Purana description contains the most essential iconographic features. To which, the later Pancharatra Agamas like the Hayashirsha Samhita and the Naradiya Samhita added a few more details: He should be draped in chira alankara (ascetic garments), should have padma lochanam (lotus-like eyes), should be of taptha hema prabha (lustrous like molten gold) and his hands placed close to his heart in the dharma cakra pravathana mudra. The image of the Buddha should be in the uttama dasha tala measure.

We shall now look into two sculptures representing the Buddha as a part of the avatara series, both belonging to different eras and locations.

Four-armed Buddha from Patan, Gujarat

Here is a depiction of the Buddha from the Jaina land –Gujarat. These sculptures are from the ‘Rani ki vav’ step well in Patan, Gujarat. This step well is dated to about 1050 AD. The depictions of all the avataras here is rare indeed; as all of them, including the Buddha have been sculpted with four hands. Here he is seen with Parashu Rama the axe bearer to the left.

This sculpture is indeed an exception and a rarity as it depicts the Buddha as sculpted individually. On a closer examination, the Buddha is shown with four hands, draped in a minimal clothing of a medicant. He has a serene expression, a slight smile, long earlobes, and neatly placed curls on his head. The uSniSa – the cranial bump on his head, is missing. There is a halo around him. He stands in a dvibhanga, with his left leg slightly ajar. He is adorned with simple bead jewellery – a single strand of chain of beads around his neck. The cIvara or draping goes around his chest and crosses his thighs, while he holds the other end in his lower left hand. This is reminiscent of the Buddha sculptures of Mathura. In addition to the draping, he is also adorned with a stylized vanamala (garland), which reaches below his knees and winds around the upper limbs. In his upper right hand, he holds an akSamAla or rosary beads and a lotus bud in his upper left hand. The lower right hand displays the varada mudra while holding an akSamAla. The akSamAla would be an icon for knowledge and enlightenment. For a lower garment, Buddha is shown wearing a kaupina or a loincloth which again emphasizes on the Buddha’s detachment of the mundane. Close to his feet are three attendants bearing some attributes which have eroded with time. He is surrounded by eight avataras including that of the last Kalki.

This representation of the Buddha undoubtedly is a masterpiece in which the artist though following the canonical texts has taken artistic liberties.

Buddha, the victorious from DoddaMalur, Karnataka

We shall now examine another representation of the Buddha from the south; the location being Doddamalur, a small hamlet on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. This is the Vaishnavite shrine of Lord Ramaprameya, but is more famous for the Krishna shrine. Krishna is depicted as a crawling infant with a butter ball clutched in his hand. This is said to have inspired the saint composer Purandaradasa to compose the famous song ‘Jagadoddharana.’ Regarding the dating, the temple is said to have built by the Chola king Rajendra Simha, and that a written document from 980 A.D. exists, which mentions about lighting lamps. It is most likely that the temple has been expanded and rebuilt in various periods. The sculptures found in the temple are carved in high relief bearing resemblance to the Vijayanagara style. The pillars in front of the crawling Krishna shrine bear the carvings of the Dashavataras. And being very simple in style, it might go easily unnoticed. Among them stands the Buddha as seen in this photograph:

Simple is the word that can describe this sculpture. When viewed individually it would represent any of the Jain theerthankaras or just any saint or monk for that matter. And the fact that the sculptor hasn’t given any attributes to it makes it tough to identify it as the Buddha. Had it not been for its placement in the avataras, it would lose its significance. Serene in expression, stark naked, with arms by his side; he stands on a lotus pedestal. With large eyes, sharp nose, smile on his lips and curly hairs, he bears all resemblance to Bahubali (Gomateshwara) who is very popular in the Karnataka region.

The reason for the sculptor to have chosen this form for Buddha could have been that there was some confusion between both the sects. In fact, the Vishnupurana itself describes the Buddha as ‘naked with a shaved head and a peacock tail in his hand’ (digambaro muṇḍo barhipatradharaḥ ). This could mean that there was some confusion between the Buddha and Jina at the time when the purana was written. And both the sects were considered as avaidika (not of the Vedic tradition). Yet another reason for the confusion could have arisen in the usage of certain words. For example the word Jina (victorious) is used for the Buddha and Vishnu. The same can be said of arhant and arhat, which is used in both the sects. In fact Bahubali is considered to be an arhant. Whether a folly or an intentional one, this Buddha does stand out from all his other representations as the avatara of Vishnu.

On a concluding note, the form of Vishnu seated in a meditating posture known as Yoga Narayana, is considered by some scholars to represent the Buddha incarnation. Yoga Narayana is often depicted seated on an urdhva padma – a lotus pedestal with a long lotus stalk, which again is characteristic of certain Buddha sculptures.

Notes:

There are variations in the list of the ten avataras itself. Let us begin with list as it is commonly known.

Matsya – the fish Kurma – the tortoise Varaha – the boar Narasimha – the man lion Vamana – the dwarf Rama the axe bearer Rama Krishna Buddha Kalki the horse rider

Jayadeva’s version was slightly different, instead of Krishna; he includes Balarama –the plough bearer. And again in southern India, both Balarama and Krishna and included while Buddha is omitted. In regions of Maharashtra, the Buddha is replaced by the popular Vitthala (Vithoba/Panduranga).

References

Iconography of Visnu – Kalpana Desai

The Development of Hindu Iconography – Jitendra Nath Banerjea