Mahaparinirvana

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The Mahaparinirvana image of the Buddha is considered more sacred than any of his other images, not even one representing him engaged in penance or meditation, or setting the wheel of Law in motion, perhaps for representing extinction : ascent to the plane where release is final with no birth or death beyond. Mahaparinirvana is the most celebrated image of the Buddha in all art traditions, Gandhara, Vakatakas or Pala, and enshrines many major Buddhist sites including Ajanta, a massive sculpture representing his Mahaparinirvana, datable to the sixth century, enshrining Cave 26. It is also one of the main five classes of the Buddha’s images identified in the Buddhist iconography, the other four being meditating Buddha – the Sakya-muni as also emaciated Buddha, Buddha in earth-touching posture, Buddha delivering first sermon, and Buddha, the universal teacher.

The most sublime the moment was as much emotional, not merely for those left behind but also to him who knew he was never to come back. The Buddha was now quite old and feeble but after Ajatashatru, who had great aversion for him, assassinated his father king Bimbasara and occupied the throne of Rajagriha, Buddha shifted to Shravasti; however, his attachment to Rajagriha was ever the same. Though beyond bonds, the incidence had broken his heart. He realised that his material frame was failing. Before he bade farewell to this world he desired to visit all places he had reminiscences of. As it happened, Ajatashatru before long realised his sin and made a public confession of it. He apologized to Buddha and joined Buddhist congregation. On his prayer Buddha came to Rajagriha. After some time when he left and was on the point of crossing the river Ganga, he stood on a stone block and turning his eyes back to Rajagriha said, full of emotion, ‘This is the last time that I shall see that city.’

Thereafter Buddha visited Vaishali. His farewell to Vaishali was as emotional. Then he headed towards Kushinagar. When almost close to the town, his vital strength began failing. Realising his end close, he halted in a forest-part and in the centre of two Sal trees made his bed on the bare land with a stone-piece, his cushion, under his head. He straightened his figure with his head on the north. He lied on his right supporting his head on his right hand. He saw the pain of losing their Master on the faces of his disciples accompanying him, Ananda in particular. He called him close and besides consoling commanded that the end of his material body is not the end of his words, his message. Let the Rule of Dhamma prevail and let the truth be everyone’s torch and guide and in its light let everyone seek one’s means of attaining knowledge.

The end had approached. He was surrounded by disciples with tears in eyes. They served him his last meal that he ate. Then lying on his right, he addressed his disciples for the last time : ‘Behold now, brethren, I exhort you, saying, Decay is inherent in all component things. Work out your salvation with diligence.’ And, then, the Great Master breathed his last. Hearing the news the Kushinagar king made appropriate arrangement for his funeral. Kings of neighbouring states and thousands of disciples assembled in Kushinagar. As the Buddhist mythology has it, his body lay for six days and it was only on the seventh that it could be laid on the great pyre prepared for him. Again, the pyre did not ignite for some time but did when the appointed moment came. Thus, the Buddha himself set his bed for the last journey, ascended the pyre when chose and fixed the hour when his body transformed into ashes. After the pyre extinguished, there emerged from ashes a heap of what looked like shining pearls.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

Sculpting Serenity: Unveiling the Art of Crafting Wood Statues

Wood has been a preferred material for sculptures and statues since ancient times. It is easy to work with than most metals and stones and therefore requires less effort to shape it into any desired shape or form. The texture of the wood gives an element of realism to the sculpture. The selection of an appropriate wood type is necessary for carving. Woods that are too resinous or coniferous are not considered good for carving as their fiber is very soft and thus lacks strength. On the other hand, wood such as Mahogany, Oakwood, Walnut wood, Weet cherry wood, etc., are preferred by sculptors because their fiber is harder. A wood sculptor uses various tools such as a pointed chisel in one hand and a mallet in another to bring the wood to the desired measurement and to make intricate details on it. A carving knife is used to cut and smooth the wood. Other tools such as the gouge, V-tool, and coping saw also serve as important tools in wood carving. Although the wood carving technique is not as complex and tough as stone carving or metal sculpting, nonetheless, a wood carver requires a high level of skills and expertise to create a stunning sculpture.

1. Selecting the right wood

The process of wood carving begins with selecting a chunk of wood that is required according to the type and shape of the statue to be created by the sculptor. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used for making artistic pieces, however, hardwoods are preferred more than softer woods because of their durability and longevity. But if heavy detailing is to be done on the statue, wood with fine grain would be needed as it would be difficult to work with hardwood.

2. Shaping the wood

Once the wood type is selected, the wood carver begins the general shaping process using gouges of various sizes. A gouge is a tool having a curved cutting edge which is useful in removing large unwanted portions of wood easily without splitting the wood. The sculptor always carves the wood across the grain of the wood and not against it.

3. Adding detailing

When a refined shape of the statue is obtained, it is time for making details on the statue using different tools. This is achieved by using tools such as a veiner to make and a V-tool to create decorative and sharp cuts.

4. Surface finishing

Once finer details have been added, the sculptor is ready to smoothen the surface and give it a perfect finish. Tools such as rasps and rifflers are used to get a smooth surface. The finer polishing is obtained by rubbing the surface with sandpaper. If a textured surface is required, this step is skipped. Finally, to protect the statue from excessive dirt accumulation, the sculptor applies natural oils such as walnut or linseed oil all over it. This also brings a natural sheen to the statue.