Text and Photographs BENOY K BEHL-Frontline

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Shrine, Mahabodhi temple, Bodh Gaya, Bihar. The temple is built at the spot where the Buddha gained Enlightenment, near Gaya in Bihar. The present structure dates back to the mid-5th century C.E. Xuanzang, when he came to India in the 7th century, described Bodh Gaya as 'the centre of the Buddhist world'. One of the four holiest places for all Buddhists, it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List of Monuments.-

Buddhist Legacy

Early Buddhism was founded on the Buddhas sublime message of love and self-discipline. This philosophic vision of life found representation in mighty

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BENOY K. BEHL

The range of hills out of which the ancient Bamiyan site is carved, in Afghanistan.-

Crossroads of cultures

A journey through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kalmykia in Russia, along the Silk Route, where Buddhism spread in ancient times.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

The Buddha, Ayuthaya, Thailand. Amid the ruins of the many temples of Ayuthaya are sculptures that remind us of the past glory of this holy site.-

Great diffusion

One of the greatest stories of the diffusion of ideas is that of Buddhism, which spread right across the Asian continent.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Bodhisattva, mural, Sumtsek, Alchi, Ladakh. Early Indic art does not strive to present photographic reality. Its purpose is to present the grace that underlies all of creation. This graceful bodhisattva moves us and elevates us through the marvellous lines of his form.-

Himalayan home

Monks who fled from Nalanda and Vikramashila nurtured Vajrayana Buddhism in the trans-Himalayan region.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Stupa and Asoka Pillar, Vaishali, Bihar. Emperor Asoka is believed to have redistributed the holy relics of the Buddha and enshrined them in vast stupas across his empire.-

Sacred stupas

One of the oldest sacred forms of Buddhist art is the stupa, a profound representation of liberation from the bindings of the material world.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K BEHL

Gilded statue of the Parinirvana. Like other sacred places associated with the life of the Buddha, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, where the Buddha attained Parinirvana, rose to be an important place of pilgrimage and, in the course of time, was covered with shrines and monasteries built by Emperor Asoka and others. This is among the four most holy places for Buddhists.-

The great quest

After six years of wandering, Gautama Siddhartha attained his goal: he became a Buddha, one who had gained Bodhi.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Indra riding the elephant Airavata, his vehicle. Carved on the veranda of the vihara Cave No. 18 at the Bhaja Caves of the 2nd century B.C., this is one of the earliest-known representations of the deity. The style has similarities with the terracottas of the Sunga period. Indra continued to be popular in Buddhist art in subsequent centuries. He is also depicted as the one who, along with Brahma, receives Siddhartha on a cloth when he is born from the side of Queen Mahamaya.-

Blend of faiths

The period of Gupta rule brought forth some of the finest and best-known Buddhist, Hindu and Jaina art.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Images of change

The art of Hampi, the capital of the Vijayanagar empire, celebrates a period of great prosperity and the meeting of cultures.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Vishnu, Sri Pratap Singh Museum, Srinagar. This image of Vishnu mounted on Garuda displays the characteristic features of Kashmiri art, including the style of the crown and the depiction of pectoral muscles. It also has the sense of joy that pervades the art of Kashmir.-

Mountain magic

In the valleys of the Himalayas, in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal, art and architecture give expression to beauty and joy.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Siva and Parvati, c. 9th century, Government Museum, Chennai. The Indian artist relives the eternal truths each time he creates deities. The themes are eternal.-

Tradition in bronze

By about the 8th century, in the temples of Tamil Nadu, utsava murtis began to be made in bronze.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Remains of Nalanda University, in present-day Bihar. Nalanda finds mention in Buddhist texts as a place frequently visited by the Buddha. It became known for its famous monastery during the rule of the Guptas in the 5th century A.D. Monks and scholars came here from all over Asia. Scholars such as Guru Padmasambhava and Santarakshita, who were responsible for spreading Buddhism across Asia, are known to have studied here.-

Thought and images

The bronze images of the Pala period, found in large numbers at Nalanda and Kurkihar, are among the finest ever produced.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Lingaraja temple, Bhubaneswar. The small, approachable temples of the earlier period are left behind and the home of the deity is presented in all its glory and magnificence.-

Tradition of grace

In what is now Orissa, prolific temple building occurred in the 7th and 8th centuries.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

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