The Phra Phuttha Sihing images

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) today (April 12th) arranges a procession of Pra Phuttha Sihing for an auspicious future of people celebrating the Songkran festival.

Bangkok Governor M.R.Sukhumbhand Paribatra presided over a ceremony to bring the Phra Phuttha Sihing Buddha image from the National Museum in the procession to celebrate Songkran. The procession will pass many roads in Bangkok and stop at three locations to allow people to pour water onto the Buddha image. The first place the procession will stop is near the Wong Wien Yai roundabout at 10.30hrs. The other two places include the Santi Chai Prakarn park and Khao San road at 13.15hrs and 14.00hrs respectively. The procession will end at BMA’s main Songkran ceremony site at Sanam Luang before the Buddha image is placed there.

The procession to bring Phra Phuttha Sihing to Sanam Luang has become a tradition since 1934 when Phraya Phahon Phayuhasena was prime minister. It is believed among Thais that to pay respect to Phra Phuttha Sihing, one of the national Buddha images, and pour water onto it will bring fortune to their life throughout the year.

The traditional Thai New Year is an occasion for merriment all over the city, but most notably at Sanam Luang, near the Grand Palace, where the revered Phra Phuttha Sihing image is displayed and bathed by devotees. In the Wisutkasat area, a Miss Songkran beauty contest is held and accompanied by merit-making and entertainment. Khao San Road, Bang Lamphu area is also one of the high-spots in the city to experience the water-throwing activities between locals and tourists.

Phra Phuttha Sihing is housed in the Phra Phuttha Sihing hall near the Provincial Hall. This sacred image was believed to have been ordered by the king of Lanka in 157 AD and was brought to Thailand during the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great. There are currently 3 similar images in Thailand which are at the National Museum in Bangkok, Wat Phra Sing in Chiang Mai and this image in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Buddha images in the Bangkok Period

In modern times, Buddha images are often replicas of images from the Sukhothai and other early periods, often more ornately and elaborately adorned. Faces in new innovative depictions are typically more realistic and human-like. An elongated flame aureole is popular. Robes depicted in modern images often depict floral designs. The Indian Gandhara style, as well as western art have also influenced many of the modern images.

After the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767, Thonburi and then in 1782 Bangkok became the kingdoms new capital. Even there was a new capital, the kingdom continued to exist and so did his artists and sculptors. Unlike Sukothai and Lanna styles, which vanished, Rattanakosin style is the continuation of Ayutthaya style in a new place. The Rattanakosin sculptors continued what had started in Ayutthaya; the creation of new styles and themes.

The material of choice was bronze, wood became less important than it had been during the Ayutthaya period, but still played a role . Many other figures besides the Buddha became popular, including scenes from the Buddhist mythology and Thai history.

Not counting the short Thonburi intermezzo, Rattanakosin has 4 periods that are identified by the name of the kings:

Rama I and II (1782 – 1824): Continuation of Ayutthaya clearly visible, Beautiful wooden images on decorated pedestals. Buddha sheltered by naga becomes popular again. Bronze images, especially standing ones are still heavily decorated

Rama III (1824 – 1851): Many sculptures other than Buddha images appear, Beautiful faces mostly found in plain, undecorated images.

Rama IV (1851 – 1868): King Rama IV brought new rationalism to Thailand, in politics as well as the Arts. The heavy decoration is partly replaced by Buddha images clad in a beautiful robe with flowery design, but no crown or jewelry. Most of the beautiful faces of Rattanakosin are from this period.

Rama V – VIII (1868- 1946) and Rama IX (1946 - present): This period saw 2 important developments. First of all, industrialization brought mass production of Buddha images, many pieces (except for the big important ones commissioned by the palace or temples) are not individual pieces of art any more, but mass production. Secondly, it became popular in the beginning and middle of the 20th century to copy the beautiful old Buddha images of Sukothai, Lanna and early Ayutthaya. This style is called „Rachakan“ and most of the so called „Sukothai style“ Buddha images sold in galleries in Thailand and elsewhere today are from this period. Since they are about 100 years old, customers are often mislead. Similarly, it became popular to mix different styles.

Rattanakosin Buddha images are ideal pieces for people who want a beautiful, authentic Buddha for an affordable price. All prices except for very large or perfect pieces (faces) are still affordable. Prices don’t differ much from the late Ayutthaya period.

Crowned Buddhas in the Ayutthaya Period

Artistic styles in Ayutthaya were a complex mix. The images below suggest the range of styles and geographically distributed influences shaping the arts of Ayutthaya.

Main Buddha Image at Wat Na Phramen, Ayutthaya. Hands display the gesture of Subduing Mara. The Buddha is in Royal Attire, with a prominent Head Dress or Crown. Typical of the late Ayutthaya period.

Buddha images of the Ayutthaya period show more different gestures than the other previoius styles. The images display the influence of Lopburi, U Thong and Sukhothai styles.

Initially the face may be more square, and a band (U Thong influence) may be present between the hairline and the forehead. Later on (Sukhothai influence) the face became more oval, with a Sukhothai type of flame on top of the ushnisha (prominent bump on the top of Buddha's head). Typical of some images are small lines carved above the upper lip and above the eyes.

Later on also, the facial expression became more stern, sometimes without any smile at all. In the later period, it became also common to show the Buddha wearing a lot of ornaments. One type shows the Buddha with an Emperor's attire (the Thai language term refers to 'big ornamentation') or with a somewhat more modest attire ('small ornamentation') featuring a crown or diadem. See examples especially at bottom of this page.

Buddha images of this period display many gestures and postures. Standing images (as featured below) often display the gesture of Dispelling Fear (Abhaya Mudra). Sitting images often display the gesture of Subduing Mara. Some giant Reclining Buddhas were constructed during this period.

Ayutthaya sculptors were fond of depicting the Buddha dressed in the "closed manner", with the clothing seeming to hug the body tightly. The upper turned-back edge of the antaravasaka shows through the outer uttarasanga, as does the stripe of its lengthwise folds between the legs. Beginning with Ayutthaya art this kind of treatment of the Buddha's clothing, which also occurred in Sukhothai, gradually becomes the general norm. In their depiction of types of ornament the sculptors followed the changing fashions of the Ayutthaya rulers. The modest embellishment of the crown and the absence of all other adornments (apart from earrings) allow us to date this sculpture to the 16th century. This is also borne out by the character of the depiction of the clothing, which is also completely devoid of adornments.

Bodhisattvas from the Malay Peninsula

The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its teminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland. The area contains territories of Burma,Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

This image of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, belongs to the Shrivijayan tradition of sculpture, so named for the kingdom of Shrivijaya that, from its capital at Palembang in Sumatra, controlled large parts of southern Thailand. This seafaring kingdom may also have controlled other regions in Indonesia such as parts of Java. As a result, sculptures made under Shrivijayan rule exhibit a wide diversity in style, making them difficult to classify. Sculptures produced on the Thai/Malay Peninsula, such as this bodhisattva, are classified as either Thai, Chaiya, or Shrivijayan.

Manjushri is identified by the sword and book placed atop the lotus that he holds in his left hand. The gesture of bestowal or charity (varadamudra) further defines the figure as the Sita Manjughosa or "Gift-Bestowing" form of Manjushri. The tiny seated figures in the bodhisattva's headdress represent the five transcendent buddhas of the Esoteric pantheon, linking this sculpture with the practices of that branch of Buddhism. This figure wears a thin diadem and has jeweled and flowered hair, some of which falls in the long corkscrew-shaped curls often found in early Buddhist sculpture from peninsular Thailand, as are the oval face, fleshy cheeks, small features, and flexed posture. The bodhisattva sits in the posture of relaxation (lalitasana) on a lotus pedestal, which is placed on a two-tiered square base. Four pudgy lions with squat faces sit at the four corners of the base.

Srivijayan Empire (7th–13th century)

Srivijaya, a maritime empire centered at Palembang on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, adopted Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism under a line of rulers named theSailendras. Yijing described Palembang as a great centre of Buddhist learning where the emperor supported over a thousand monks at his court. Atiśa studied there before travelling to Tibet as a missionary.

Like Dvaravati art, Srivijayan art was also heavily influenced by Indian traditions. It seems likely that this part of Thailand was on the trade route between India and China, and as a result local artists were well aware of Indian styles. A problem with characterizing the art of this period, which spanned five centuries, is that it is very varied.

Srivijaya was a Mahayana Buddhist Empire, and numerous Avalokitesvara Bodhisattvas have been found, in both stone and bronze, at Chaiya . Some of these are wonderfully carved, and particularly notable is the supremely modelled bronze Avalokitesvara (eighth century, 63 cm high), unearthed at Chaiya and now housed in the National Museum in Bangkok. In fact, so much Srivijayan art has been discovered around this town that some experts went so far as to argue that Chaiya, and not Palembang, was the capital of Srivijaya. Unfortunately, however, there are few architectural remnants from the period. Two exceptions are Wat Phra Boromthat and Wat Kaeo, both at Chaiya .

A SUMATRA, SRIVIJAYA STYLE, BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESVARA, standing in samabhanga, his six arms radiating around his body and holding clockwise varadamudra, pasa, akshamala, pustaka, padma and formerly the kamandalu, now missing, wearing dhoti engraved with alternating floral and chevron bands, sashes falling to both sides, tiger-skin around his hip, belt,upavita, many bodhisattva-ornaments, his face with silver-inlaid eyes, urna, pointed nose, elongated earlobes with large ear-rings, high jatamakuta set with small figure of Amitabha in the front, dark-green patina, late 7th - early 9th Century.

Srivijaya spread Buddhist art during its expansion inSoutheast Asia. Numerous statues of bodhisattvas from this period are characterized by a very strong refinement and technical sophistication, and are found throughout the region. Extremely rich architectural remains are visible at the temple of Borobudur the largest Buddhist structure in the world, built from around 780 CE in Java, which has 505 images of the seated Buddha. Srivijaya declined due to conflicts with the Chola rulers of India, before being destabilized by the Islamic expansion from the 13th century.

19th century reproduction of a 12th century Sri Vijaya Bodhisattva
Thailand

A 19th century, Srivijaya style, cast bronze Buddhist statue of a Bodhisattva, standing with right knee slightly bent on a double tiered circular lotus base. His oval face is sensitively cast with a meditative expression and framed with pendant ears supporting dangling earrings partially resting on the shoulders. His hair is arranged in a very tall chignon with a spiral pattern fronted by ornaments and a five point diadem. This deity has four arms, arranged two on each side:

- the front right hand posed in a form of the Vitarkamundra,
- the back right hand raised, holding a book (symbol of knowledge),
- the front left hand holding the stem of a lotus bud entwined around the left front arm,
- the back left hand holding the base of the lotus bud.

The lower body is covered with a close fitting dhoti, decorated with incised diaper pattern, the chest and waist festooned with various necklaces, ornaments and ribbons. The metal surfaces is patinated green with some traces of gilding in recesses of casting.

Wheels of the Law and Aniconic Art

The Dharmacakra "Wheel of Dharma" or "Wheel of Law" is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism. It is also sometimes translated as wheel of doctrine or wheel of law. A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism. It is one of the Ashtamangala Symbols.

The Dharmacakra symbol is represented as a chariot wheel (Sanskrit cakram) with eight or more spokes. It is one of the oldest known Buddhist symbols found in Indian art, appearing with the first surviving post-Harappan Indian iconography in the time of the Buddhist king Aśoka. The Dharmacakra has been used by all Buddhist nations as a symbol ever since. In its simplest form, the Dharmacakra is recognized globally as a symbol for Buddhism.

In Buddhism, according to the Pali Canon, Vinayapitaka, Khandhaka,Mahavagga, Dhammacakkappavattanasutta—number of spokes of the Dharmacakra represent various meanings:

8 spokes representing the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariya magga). 12 spokes representing the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination(Paticcasamuppāda). 24 spoke representing the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination and the Twelve Laws of Dependent Termination (Paticcasamuppāda). 31 spoke representing 31 realms of existence (11 realms of desire, 16 realms of form and 4 realms of formlessness).

In Buddhism, Parts of the Dharmacakra also representing:

Its overall shape is that of a circle (cakra), representing the perfection of the dharma teaching. The hub stands for discipline, which is the essential core of meditation practice. The rim, which holds the spokes, refers to mindfulness or samādhi which holds everything together. The corresponding mudrā, or symbolic hand gesture, is known as the Dharmacakra Mudrā. The Dharmacakra is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. The dharma wheel can refer to the dissemination of the dharma teaching from country to country. In this sense the dharma wheel began rolling in India, carried on to Central Asia, and then arrived in South East Asia and East Asia.

Aniconic Art

Buddhist art originated in the Indian subcontinent in the centuries following the life of the historical Gautama Buddha in the 6th to 5th century BCE, before evolving through its contact with other cultures and its diffusion through the rest of Asia and the world.

A first, essentially Indian, aniconic phase (avoiding direct representations of the Buddha), was followed from around the 1st century CE by an iconic phase (with direct representations of the Buddha). From that time, Buddhist art diversified and evolved as it adapted to the new countries where the faith was expanding. It developed to the north through Central Asia and into Eastern Asia to form the Northern branch of Buddhist art, and to the east as far as Southeast Asia to form the Southern branch of Buddhist art. In India, Buddhist art flourished and even influenced the development of Hindu art, until Buddhism almost disappeared around the 10th century with the expansion of Hinduism and Islam.

The first clear manifestations of Buddhist art date back to the time of the emperor Ashoka during the Mauryan era (322-180 BCE), through the building of numerous stupas, such as the one at Sanchi, and the erection of pillars. The pillars were surmounted by animal capitals and decorated with Buddhist symbols (such as the wheel), which invoked respect for all creatures and the acceptance of the Dharma.

During the 2nd to 1st century BCE, sculptures became more explicit, representing episodes of the Buddha¡¯s life and teachings. These took the form of votive tablets or friezes, usually in relation to the decoration of stupas.

Although India had a long sculptural tradition and a mastery of rich iconography, the Buddha was never represented in human form, but only through some of his symbols. Among them:

The Wheel of law (skt. dharmacakra), symbol of the Four Noble Truths expressed by the Buddha.

The Bodhi tree, the tree where the Buddha reached enlightenment. It has some antecedent in fertility cults and representations of the tree of life.

The Buddha footprint (skt. Buddhapada ¡°Buddha feet¡±) to represent the impact of the teachings of the Buddha on the world.

The Empty throne.

The Lions, symbol of his royalty. The Buddha was known as the "Shakya Lion" during Ashoka's time, so this symbol was used on the Buddhist pillars he planted throughout India.

The Columns surmounted by a wheel, symbol of his teaching.

The Lotus, symbol of pure, unspoiled Buddha Nature, for its beautiful blooming and the impossibility for water to adhere to it, leaving it spotless.

This reluctance towards anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha, and the sophisticated development of aniconic symbols to avoid it (even in narrative scene where other human figures would appear), seems to be connected to one of the Buddha¡¯s sayings, reported in the Dighanikaya, that disfavored representations of himself after the extinction of his body. This tendency remained as late as the 2nd century CE in the Southern parts of India, in the art of the Amaravati school. It has been argued that earlier anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha may have been made of wood and may have perished since then. However no related archaeological evidence has been found.