Limestone Dome Slab

This object is a depiction of Buddha on a limestone dome-slab from the Amaravati in India. For most of the world, India is considered the birthplace of Buddhism and for good reason.

This limestone slab can be dated back to AD 50-100, many of the object throughout this discussion of representations of Buddhism along the Silk Road have not dated that far back.

This Dome SLab can be dated to 50-100 AD

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This is a right-aligned image that takes up roughly half the page width. Notice how text wraps around it naturally. Source

This limestone slab originally stood over three meters or nine feet tall, which was a massive feat for its time.

This image of the limestone dome slab from Amaravati comes from the British Museum.1

When considering the time that this statue was carved, people during this time along the Silk Road did not have the technology that we have today but they were able to complete an extremely tall masterpiece as some would say that had impacted many people along the Silk Road.

India was a very important region along the Silk Road as it helped initiate the idea of Buddhism and the importance within the messages that Buddha stood for. 2

The Scale of the Dome Slab is Very Impressive

This object that is from the Amaravati in India, by itself stands over nine feet tall however it was originally connected to an entire mural that stood over fifty feet tall. This limestone dome-slab was constructed over a very long period of time, and it was made possible by many wealthy donors who wanted to contribute to something much bigger than them.

Why this matters: This limestone dome-slab was constructed between the second century BC and the third century BC.

India will most likely always be considered the birthplace of Buddhism as well as be considered a vital and significant place of establishing the importance of Buddhism within Indian culture.

The Bristish Museum States

Its construction, embellishment and, over time, extension and refurbishment, was an enormous project funded by many generous donors between about the third century BC and third century AD.

A magnificent Buddhist monument in southeast India that originally measured almost 50 meters in diameter.

The limestone dome-slab from Amaravati in India that is a depiction of Buddha is a unique style of artwork that has Buddha in a standing position along with what appears to be three women and one man standing next to the Buddha.

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This image is set to 60% width instead of 48%, giving it more prominence. You can adjust image widths to suit your content. Source

What is also very interesting about this limestone slab is that the Buddha is in relatively minimal clothing which may be a representation of the time that it was created.

As seen in many other depictions of Buddha within art, the Buddha is usually heavily clothed in a shall of clothing that covers the majority of the body.

Whereas this image of Buddha has minimal clothing. Another interesting piece of this representation of Buddha from India is the hand placement, this hand placement tends to hold the meaning of unification of opposites, devotion, and respect. This hand placement tends to differ from the other objects chosen within this subject. This chosen object from India holds deep significance to the rise of Buddhism in India and the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road.

Bibliography

  1. https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/introduction-ancient-india-living-traditions. ↩

  2. https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/introduction-ancient-india-living-traditions. ↩