South Asia: Pala Sculpture and Painting
Artist: unknown
Title: Mandala of the Astamahanagas
Material: stone
Site: Nalanda, Bihar, India
Current Location: Nalanda Site Museum, India
Period/Date: Ca. 11th century
Iconography/Iconology: Although never the subject of a thorough study,
the cult of nagas is still found widely throughout Buddhism, where they
are the purveyors of rain, bringers of good fortune, and providers of well-being
and prosperity. These concerns are primarily those of the layity, and the
fact that such a mandala was found at Nalanda, a "Buddhist University,"
suggests that there was a lay component to the rituals that were practiced
there.
Stylistic Comments:
