Nepalese Buddhist Art and

its importance
By
Min Bahadur Shakya
contents
 Introduction
 Origin of Buddhist Paintings

 History of Nepalese Paintings

 Diffusion of Nepalese Buddhist art outside

Nepal
 Textual Source for Buddhist Arts

 Contribution of Nepalese Buddhist artists

 Conclusion
Introduction
 Introduction of Buddhist painting in the
life time of the Buddha.
 Story of Bimbisara and Udrayana
 Story of Wheel of Life according to
Divyavadana
 Story of Muktalata
Diffusion of Nepalese art outside Nepal
 Tibet
 China

 Ladakh
Contribution of Nepalese artists in
Tibet, China and Ladakh
 1.Prince Bhrikuti in Tibet-7th century
 2.Dunhoung Cave in China-9th century
 3.Beijing and Wutai shan in 13th century
 4.Earliest Paubha paintings at Sakyamonastery-
13th century
 5. 1st Panchen Lama and Maitreya statue-16th
century
 6.Lama Taranath’s commission in Ngor temple
 7.Fifth Dalai Lama in 1659 mentions 8 Nepalese
artists:
 8.Largest metal image in Ladakh, the gigantic
statue of Sakyamuni Buddha in the monastery of
shey, was erected in the 17th century by artists
from Nepal:
1.Prince Bhrikuti in Tibet-7th century

 First Buddha image was brought to Lhasa from

Nepal in 634 C.E by Princess Bhrikuti Devi, the wife
of King srong bstan Gampo.One of these was was
an image of the Jina Aksobhya with a gilded face,
in the Ramoche.

 The statue of an eleven headed Avalokiteshvara in

Jokhang was made by a newar artist during his
period.
 The suggestion that Newar architects and builders
and all the neccessary craftsmen were sent from
Nepal for the work on Jokhang during first half of
seventh century is echoed by von schroder’s
statement that the elaborately carved panels of a
sculpted door beam inside the temple clearly
represent Nepalese workmanship.
List of images
 Sahasrabhuja Lokeshvara
 Bhrikuti

 Arya Tara

 Marici

 Sarasvati

 Hayagriva
Jowo Shakyamuni Buddha in Lhasa
Nepalese artist at Dunhoung Caves
775-815C.E.
 According to Sir Aurel Stein, Nepalese artist
painted a part of a fresco in one of the cave at
Dunhoung.

 If Stein’s judgement is correct, then its date

can be assigned to 775-825 C.E.Certainly
more research is needed in this case.
Dunhoung Caves
Buddha with his attendant
Bodhisattvas
Nepalese at Sakya Monastery
 During the period of predominance of the
order of the monastery of Sakya, in southern
Tibet, teams of Newar artists were invited to
work by the abbots of the sa-skya
monasteries.
 Large images of Nepalese origin in a chapel at
the monastery of Sakya are visible in a picture
taken by Tucci and reproduced by Von
schroeder.
Sakya monastery
Earliest Paubhas of Nepal
Earliest Paubhas at Central Tibet
-Sakya monastery
 Ratna Sambhava Buddha
Los Angeles County Museum,
 Amitabha Buddha
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
 Amoghsiddhi
Philadelphia Museum of Art,
Stella Kramrisch Collection
Contd.
Works of Arniko
 Golden Pagoda of Sakya monastery
 White Pagoda of Beijing

 White Pagoda of Wutaishan

 Painting of green Tara

 Portrait of Emperor Kubilai Khan

 Portrait of Empress Chabi

Portrait of Empress Chabi
Emperor Kubilai Khan
Ngor Mandalas
 139 Mandalas paintings at Ngor Monastery by
Nepalese artists
Ngor Monastery
Ngor Mandala of Jnana dakini
Vajravarahi Mandala
Taranatha commissions seven
Buddhas
 Taranatha also commissioned seven Newar
artists to make many haloes to be placed
around the heads of some statues.

 Again twenty Newar sculptors made the image

of the seven Buddhas of the past aeons for the
entrance –hall to the Ngor temple.
Gedun rGyatsho-2nd Dalai Lama
 Newar sculptors erected two well known
statues in the monastery of Tashilhunpo
founded in 1445 near Shigatse a twenty five
cubit statue of the Maitreya Buddha
 And another is goddess White Tara

 1st panchen Lama 1567-1662, witnessed the

casting of an image of Maitreya by Newar
sculptors in 1604.
Maitreya at Tashilhunpo Monastery
Fifth Dalai Lama and Nepalese Artists
 Newar sculptors continued to operate in Tibet, and
the names of eight of them are recorded in the
autobiopgraphy of the 5th Dalai Lama under the
year 1659.They are
2. Dshyo-ban
3. Siddhi
4. Mangal
5. Dharmadeva
6. Jayasingh
7. Amarajati
8. Dselakhrang
9. Khra-papsu-tsa
and they also made a portrait of him.
Near Shey Gompa in Ladakh
Textual source on Buddhist Arts
 BuddhapratimalakSana Sutra
 Citralaksana

 Atreyatilaka or Pratimalaksana shastra

 Dasatalanyagraodhaparimandala-

 Pratimalaksanavivarana

 Citrakarmashastra by Manjusri-edited by
Marasinghe
 Devasthapanaya by Tissakariyavasam
Conclusion
 The purpose of this presentation is to
important contribution made by Nepalese
artists through millennium.
 If Nepalese artists are aware of our past
heritage, then we should keep it their legacy
with sincerity.
 I appeal to all of our artists here present to
work and study diligently how our past
eminent artists contributed for the
enhancement of our Nepalese heritage.We
should study their biographies, methods of
work they created and so forth
 Thank you