Ruins of Buddhistic Temples in Prågå Valley—Tyandis Båråbudur, Mendut and PawonGroneman, I. (Isaac)
Religion
Ruins of Buddhistic Temples in Prågå Valley—Tyandis Båråbudur, Mendut and Pawon
Groneman, I. (Isaac)
Buddhist temples; Temples -- Indonesia -- Java
To the left we see a deity (a Bodhisattva, perhaps) in a temple crowned
by _eleven trisyulas_. To the right such another deity (or greatness?)
on a lower seat. Between these two stands a tree the branches of which
don’t bear leaves or fruit, but swords and daggers. And beneath there we
see a cauldron full of boiling contents hanging over a flaming fire.
Next to this we see three (armed) men guarding three fettered prisoners
who are likely to ask for mercy to the second, less great deity. It
seems however, that one of the keepers is waiting for further
instructions of the deity we see in the small temple.
The eleven _trisyulas_ make us think of Shiva again, perhaps as Kâla,
the god of death, the all destroying _time_.
Leemans thought this representation should be connected with a
particular event or, should refer, in a general sense, to hellish
punishments. The last mentioned explanation seemed acceptable to me, but
then when taken in a pure symbolical sense.
The king of _Siam_ simply called this a representation of hell. “Buddha
_sees_ hell.”
We may leave the walled terraces after having seen two other sculptures
we find on the back-wall of the fourth and highest gallery which has no
more than 20 angles and hewn wall-panels.
First of all I’ll mention the _fifty-seventh_ sculpture (3 after the
_northern_ staircase). There we see a Buddha throning in a temple upon
which we see, to the right, a flaming _tyakra_ and, to the left, a
_crescent of the moon_ floating in the air on lotus-cushions.
And last of all I’ll point to the _seventieth_ sculpture (_fifth_ corner
2), showing us a similar representation, but where the _tyakra_ has been
replaced by the _disc of the sun_.[66]
One can’t possibly wish a more eloquent witness of the harmony of the
_tyakra_ and _disc of the sun_, and of the connection there is between
these celestial bodies and the _Buddha_, between _Buddha_ and _Vishnu_
or, in other words, between the _Buddha-_ and _sun-worship_.
For completeness’ sake I further mention that on the back-wall of this
gallery are to be found many sculptures upon which more than _five_ till
_seventeen_ Buddhas have been hewn in different postures (mudrâs). In my
opinion the king of _Siam_ rightly observed that here can’t be meant any
_Dhyâni_-Buddha.
Foucher gave us another reasonable explanation of these sculptures by
connecting them with _Syrâvastî_’s _great wonder_ when the _Buddha_
covered all the heaven with the reflexions of his own body. For the sake
of brevity I therefore refer to that which has been mentioned hereabout
in my “_Oudheidkundige Aanteekeningen_” IV, p. 42 and 44.
It only remains for me now to speak a few words about the relievoes
major van Erp recognised to be _jâtaka_-representations guided as he was
by the text of the great work of Mr. Cowell’s and contributors.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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