Today’s society takes on many attributes of the past. The past taught the present how to build, how to create, and how to prosper, even through the mistakes. In this paper, I examine a piece from the Angkor period, “Buddha Enthroned,” as a symbolic relic for the ancient teachings of Buddhism and compare it to contemporary life of prosperity, or more specifically health, wealth, and relationships.
This artwork coincides in Thailand in the time of the Angkor king Jayavarman VII who was in rule from 1181- 1218. It is relatively large standing at almost two by six feet. The bronze piece illustrates an elaborate skill level of design, incorporating a different perspective on the Buddha. Instead of presenting the Buddha on a lotus pedestal, the viewer is shown the Buddha meditating on an extensive throne. The bronze sculpture has intricate details exemplifying the amount of time that went into making it. The throne, solely, illustrates wealth. The carving builds an arch over the Buddha in a flame like pattern, intertwining flower like motifs as well as symbols that embody “the power of the underworld.” In doing so, this sculpture compares to that of the Khmer temples in its mountain like design.
The sculpture incorporates both royal regalia as well as spiritual. As in most Buddhist sculptures, this one depicts a mudra that is called Maravijaya, or otherwise known as overcoming malicious or rather evil forces. This particular mudra shows how the Buddha withstood an attack by Mara, the king of demons, and gestured to the ground, calling upon Mother Earth. In other words, calling to witness his right to reach enlightenment. This is shown by the right hand over the knee and the left resting palm upwards in the lap.
The Buddha bestows a royal persona, embodying the embellishments of large earrings, a crown and necklace. Furthermore, this Buddha is depicted without a belly. This differs from other sculptures of Buddha because he is fit, and not wealthy in the sense of being overfed but instead disciplined. This could be construed as the King Jayavarman VII, attempting to represent himself as a divine authority, characterized by attributes of Buddha. The Buddha is beholding power and material wealth like a king as well as portraying spiritual attributes.
The intricate detailing of this sculpture goes back to the hardship of the time in Khmer empire. The history of the Khmer is outlined by greatness, an extensive territorial expansion, all leading to an inevitable decline. When Jayavarman VII came into rule, an extensive building power came with him. During the time of the Khmer empire there was an expansion of Cambodia, lead to many wars that cost the nation’s resources. On top of that, temple building remained the primary focus, leaving priests and shrines rich and maintained while the economy weakened. Jayavarman VII eventually converted to Theravada Buddhism, a form of Buddhism is argued to be the original form and the most conservative. The goal is to reach Enlightenment, seeking to eliminate suffering and gain introspection. The sculpture embodies a serpent like design on the throne which depicts Mara. The Buddha however, has a calm face of meditation as he calls to witness in his search for Enlightenment. This relic of Buddha also portrays a diffusion of the Gandhara style. Gandhara styles were typically influenced primarily by Greek and Roman tradition rather than Indian where Buddhism supposedly developed. The Gandhara style depicts a more wealthy and prosperous image just as this sculpture. After ideas were traded along the silk road, the Gandhara style began to imitate Chinese dress and was eventually diffused into cultures in areas like Thailand, which is most likely the reason that the Buddha wears traditional dress as well richly jeweled accessories in this artwork.
The Khmer empire was influenced greatly under Jayavarman VII’s rule. He expanded the empire through a building program, extending highway systems and building numerous rest houses and hospitals. It was a prosperous time for Angkor period but it also resulted in a weak economic system. While there was a large amount of resources devoted to infrastructure, many of the nation’s resources were dedicated towards religious projects, eventually depleting them. This is evident through the glorious artwork of Buddhas