Chakhil-i-Ghoundi Stupa
| Chakhil-i-Ghoundi Stupa | |
|---|---|
Musée Guimet, Paris | |
| Culture | Gandhara |
The Chakhil-i-Ghoundi Stupa, also code-named "Stupa C1", is a small
The decoration of the stupa provides an interesting case of
Stupa canopy
The stupa was surmounted by an elaborate canopy, a beautiful example of Indo-Corinthian capital, although typically expanded longitudinally compared to their Western counterparts.
The central space of the capital must have accommodated a small statuette of a seated Buddha, as usually for these architectural elements in northwestern India.
Details reveal elaborate carving, and the presence of naked amorini and vines in the acanthus foliage.
Stupa base
The stupa base is an elaborate construction, consisting of three tiers organised in a stair, and two sides. It has a breath of roughly 3 meters, for a height of about 1 meter. The base combines very contrasted scenes and sculptural motifs: Hellenistic scenes at the bottom tier, and Indian Buddhist scenes at the top two tiers.
First tier: Hellenistic revelling
The first tier displays several purely Hellenistic scenes, of which the one on the far right is by far the best preserved.
The left scene is a well-known Hellenistic scene often found in Gandhara. On the left is represented a young couple, the woman holding a drinking cup in the right hand, and with her left hand opening the man's chlamys (a Greek cloak) to show his naked body. On the right is an elderly couple in Greek dress, the man bearded, with a small child clinging to the man. It is thought that this scene may symbolize the cycle of life, from childhood, to adulthood and maturity.
The middle scene is less clear, but represents a naked man, possibly an
The scene on the right is by far the clearest. It precisely shows: a woman in Greek dress, holding an amphora and giving a grape to a small child, a man in himation holding a kantaros drinking vessel, a young man in chiton playing a hand drum, and a woman in Greek dress playing a two-stringed lute-family instrument.
Second tier: Indian palatial scene
The second tier of the stupa base displays a Buddhist Indian scene. Depending on interpretations, it seems to show a princely couple whose son is convinced to shave his head and become a Buddhist monk. In the last scene on the right, he is seen in Buddhist garb, bidding farewell to his parents.
Stylistically, it is most interesting that these Indian scenes were realized by the same artist, or at least the same atelier and at the same time as the Hellenistic ones. Indeed it had been suggested previously (Marshall) that the Hellenistic scene belonged to a previous period, before the emergence of Gandharan Buddhist scenes.
The second tier is sided by triangular
Third tier
Only fragments of the third tier remain, but they also depict Indian palatial scene similar to those of the second tier. A beautiful decorative garland with flowers in included at the bottom of these scenes.
Other decorative elements
Various decorative elements have also been found in relation with the stupa. In particular, a Hellenistic cupids and garland design, a representation of the
.The left part of the narrative frieze represents the Buddha in a conventional scene (the visit to the Brahman).
At the time of the manufacture of the stupa, groups of Greek populations from the earlier
-
Cupids and garlands. -
The Buddha and Maitreya. -
Narrative frieze. -
Garuda.
See also
References
- "The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity" by John Boardman (Princeton University Press, 1994) ISBN 0-691-03680-2
- "The Buddhist art of Gandhara", Sir John Marshall, Cambridge University Press, 1960. ISBN 81-215-0967-X
External links
