The forgotten place

de Claudine Bautze-Picron

Kurkihar is considered a major Buddhist site of the ninth century; after that time the local monastery is believed to have been inhabited though it was aloof from the developments which re-shaped Buddhism in other places nearby. This is a study of the stone images that have been found at Kurkihar, Bihar that focuses on sculptures discovered around mid-nineteenth century that are today displayed in the Indian Museum, Kolkata, the State Museum, Lucknow and the British Museum, London as well as those still preserved in the temple of the village, Kurkihar. The work examines the characteristics of the local stylistic idiom and recognises similarities between the images of Kurkihar and other images discovered in other sites in Bihar and other places. It provides an in-depth coverage of aspects relating to the sculpture like the nimbus, its decorative motifs and ornamentation around it; the throne; the attendant figures; and garments, jewellery and other attributes of the images. It examines the themes and representations in the sculptures: depiction of the Buddha images that deal with the life story of the Buddha, his actions and teachings; the Avalokiteshwara images; images of Manjushri, Maitreya, Vajrasatva and others. A separate section is provided on the art of Bodh Gaya and Gaya and Nalanda and its link to the Kurkihar artistic production as well as the sculpture during the reigns of kings Devapala, Mahendrapala and Surapala. With numerous drawings and reproductions of sculptures including bronzes housed at sites around the world, the volume will interest art lovers and connoisseurs and scholars of Indian art.