The Four-Armed Standing Vishnu: A Historical Analysis Part 2

Rohan Rajesh

In my previous blog post, I discussed the history of Hinduism and Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent. In this post, I will discuss how the Four-Armed Standing Vishnu sculpture shows significant influence from Buddhist art.

The Sculpture

As the name suggests, the sculpture is a depiction of a standing, four-armed Vishnu, an important deity in many sects of Hinduism. The deity is in a samabhanga (i.e., an equipoised) pose (Lerner and Kossak 96). In the top left hand is a conch, in the top right a lotus, in the bottom left a chakra, and in the bottom right a mace (Lerner and Kossak 96). Of these, the lotus has an early connection to Buddhist iconography: the lotus is an important symbol of the Buddha because just as a pure lotus emerges from muddy waters, so too did the Buddha rise from the depths of worldly attachment to enlightenment. Just like the Mathura Buddha sculptures, the Vishnu sculpture wears light clothing but also has a garland and jewelry. While the light clothing could be a function of the hot climate of Mathura, it is striking that the sculptor used the same style for Vishnu. In Buddhist art, the garland and the jewelry motifs serve as a reminder of the Buddha’s royal origins, which have been adapted to Vishnu’s role as a guardian and the royal roles of some of his most popular avatars, particularly Rama and Krishna. The most obvious connection to Buddhist art is the halo behind Vishnu’s head. The halo is an old feature of depictions of the Buddha, a symbol of radiant enlightenment dating back to the Kushans. Thus, we see at least four common, well-established Buddhist motifs in this Vishnu sculpture: the lotus, the light clothing, the ornate jewelry, and the halo.

One may be tempted to connect the chakra as well to Buddhist art, given the importance of the wheel in Buddhist iconography dating back to the Mauryan period. In Buddhist art, the dharmachakra represents the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the doctrine of Dependent Origination, and the cycle of birth and rebirth that a Buddhist should attempt to escape. However, in this case, the chakra is actually a weapon frequently used by Vishnu to slay his enemies in battle and is not a borrowing from Buddhist iconography.

Conclusion

To be sure, this Vishnu sculpture is not simply a copy of a Buddhist sculpture. There are clear elements that are unique to Hindu conceptions of Vishnu, particularly the war-like protector elements such as the conch (which serves as a war trumpet), the mace, and the chakra. But, as we have seen, there are undeniable characteristics of the prevailing Buddhist iconography that had been borrowed by the sculptor in this sublime depiction of Vishnu. In a land where Buddhism had dominated and received state support for centuries, incorporating popular Buddhist ideas and iconography allowed for the survival of orthodox Hinduism. There is historical precedence for this process of absorption and cooptation: early Western Christianity adopted many of the symbols, rituals, and traditions of the pagans of the Roman Empire (Meeks), while Christian missionaries in China often coopted Buddhist messages by conflating the Holy Spirit with the reincarnations of the Buddha (Frankopan 59). It makes sense to spread ideas by repackaging them using terminology familiar to and popular with a foreign audience. 

Further, while much has been made of the “death” of Buddhism in India, this statue reminds us that Buddhism was, in part, absorbed into the structures of Hinduism, whether via mythology, philosophy, or iconography. Buddhism was a potent force in ancient India and has continued to animate Indians in the colonial and post-colonial eras, from Indian nationalists to Dalit activists to Hindu revivalists (Holt 22). The Four-Armed Standing Vishnu sculpture is a testament to Buddhism’s heritage in the land of its birth and the unending, ancient, and global process of cultural exchange.

Works Cited

Craven, Roy C. Indian Art: A Concise History. Thames and Hudson, 2006. 

Eliot, Charles. Hinduism and Buddhism: An Historical Sketch. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2020. 

Frankopan, Peter. The New Silk Roads: the New Asia and the Remaking of the World Order. Vintage Books, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2017. 

Lerner, Martin, and Steven M. Kossak. The Lotus Transcendent: Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Samuel Eilenberg Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1991.

Meeks, Wayne. “The Collision With Paganism | From Jesus To Christ - The First Christians | FRONTLINE.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, Apr. 1998, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/paganism.html. 

Tharoor, Shashi. “Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker Review: A Lesson from the Past.” The Hindu, The Hindu, 3 June 2018, www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/adi-shankaracharya-hinduisms-greatest-thinker-review-a-lesson-from-the-past/article24065950.ece.

Tharoor, Shashi. Why I Am a Hindu. Scribe, 2018.