#greatstupa #yakshi

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In India and other early Asian cultures, Buddha is rarely shown in his human form, but rather symbolically through different objects or sources of representations. For example, artists would often show a trail of footprints to show Buddha’s movement, a seat representing “enlightenment,” and most importantly a stupa (Stokstad, 72).

A stupa is a dome-shaped burial mound that acts as a commemorative monument to house relics usually pertaining to Buddha (Britannica). The Great Stupa was built during Emperor Ashoka’s reign, who actually first established Buddhism as the major religion in his realm (Stokstad, 72).

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The Great Stupa was once covered in shiny white plaster and beautiful paint on the decorative elements. It is topped with a square stone, representative that the structure is the domain of the gods and has three stone disks, umbrellas, decreasing in size kept in place with the axis mundi, a mast. The purpose of this topping to the stupa was to connect and anchor the cosmic earth to the celestial heavens together (Stokstad, 72).

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Because you cannot enter the actual stupa because it houses relics that are buried in the mound, there are four gateways called toranas, that allow for circumnavigation around the stupa. The railings on the toranas are meant to create a symbolic and physical boundary between the relics of Buddha in the Great Stupa and the outside world. As you can see from the images provided, the toranas are beautifully and intricately decorated with carved incidents from Buddha’s lives and past lives.

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Also carved into the gateways are yakshis. Yakshis are meant to be the personification of the waters and a source of life in this culture. They depict female beauty with the fertility of nature, seen on the image where the trees she is touching are flowering and the ones surrounding her are not (Stokstad, 72). Her body is curvaceous and arched, seen with full breasts and wider hips. Furthermore, the yakshi is seen wearing a very thin cloth, only noticeable by the hems along her feet to make her appear nude. This type of thin, wet cloth look was also seen in the Roman goddess statues we looked at so as the artist can hint at nudity while claiming she is clothed.

Attached is an interesting video with more information regarding the Great Stupa at Sanchi.

Stokstad, Marilyn. Art: A Brief History. Fourth Edition. (Prentice-Hall, 2009).

“stupa”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 1 June. 2015

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