Standing Bronze statue of Siddhartha Gautama at Birth
The statue of Siddhartha Gautama at birth is the standing bronze statue which is housed at Toda Ji Temple in the city of Nara in Japan. The statue of Siddhartha Gautama stands at the lustration basin. The statue along with the basin dates to the Nara period. Both of the artifacts have been designated as a National Treasures in Japan.
It has been documented that standing Bronze statue of Siddhartha Gautama at Birth is early surviving examples dating to the Asuka period in the mid 8th century at Shogen Ji in Aichi prefecture.
The Birth of Siddhartha Gautama
In Buddhism, the birth of Siddhartha Gautama is one of the eight major events in the life of the Buddha. Hence, the moment is quite popular among the artists and they tend to portray this moment artistically.
It is documented in the Dirghagama Sutra that When Queen Maya, the Buddha's mothers, was pregnant; she wished to visit her mother. Therefore they set to her mother's home with the permission of the King. But on the way towards her mother home, she gave birth to the young prince. As mentioned in the sutra, when the young prince was born, he immediately took seven steps in the four directions and positioned himself pointing his left index finger towards the ground and his right index finger towards the sky. He then declared him to be the only one who is venerable in the heaven and on the earth. In Lalitavistara, it is mentioned that the young prince when born was bathed by two serpent deities, Nanda and Upananda or Dragon Kings.
Celebration of Birth of Siddhartha Gautama
As the legend suggests, the Buddha was bathed at the time of his birth. The annual ritual is held by bathing of Buddha statues marking his birthday. This ceremony is known as Kanbutsue. After the bath, the Buddha statues are repeated wiped with a silk cloth rather than anointed. It is then decorated with the garlands of the flowers.
In Japan, the celebration is fixed on the eighth day of the fourth month. At Toda Ji, the temporary flower hall is erected in front of the Daibutsuden. This hall is annually erected and after the celebration, the hall is destroyed again.
Iconography of the standing bronze statue of Siddhartha Gautama at birth
The statue is depicted in the infant form of the Buddha who's right arm is raised and points to heaven while his left arm is pendant and points to the earth. He doesn't wear anything in the upper part of his body. His lower part is covered by the skirt. The statue has elongated earlobes and spiral-shaped curls of hair which resembles snail shells. The face of the Siddhartha Gautama confirms the soft, rounded and sweet features. It is recorded that the original pedestal had been lost which is now replaces with a small wooden base carved with lotus petals.
This statue of the Buddha at Birth is completely different from the statue found in most of the Buddha shop as the statue is erected above the Basin. The Basin's exterior has incised images of human, animals and imaginary birds, and butterflies. The landscape of flowers, grasses, shrubs, trees, mountain peaks, clouds, and pagodas are set as a background. It had been recorded that the basin shows the influence of contemporary Tang China.
It is recorded that the statue and basin are cast using the lost wax method. The statue was cast with gilt bronze and in one piece. The right forearm was later re-casted for the purpose of restoration. Therefore, the people can clearly see the joins. The decorative motifs found on the exterior of the basin were engraved. The dots in the background were created through hammering with a burin. It is acknowledged that the statue of the Siddhartha Gautama at birth and the basin were the masterpieces of eight-century metalwork.
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