The Study Of Bas-reliefs Of The Stupa Of Bharhut In India

In India,the period from the second century B.C.to the first century A.D.was called the Ages of Non-Buddhist Statue where there wasn't a large quantity of Buddha statues but "Dharma-cakra","the footprints of Buddha" and "banyan" appeared on the handrails of pagodas as a symbol of Buddha instead.The most important art relics in this period were those famous pagodas,such as the Bharhut Stupa,the Sanchi Stupa and the Great Stupa at Amaravati in Southern India.The paper mainly takes the handrails of the Bharhut Stupa as the research object for the following reasons: firstly,the sculptures have the longest history;secondly,most of the inscriptions of the images engraved on the handrails remained;thirdly,compared with other pagodas,the handrails of the Bharhut Stupa are carved with images in almost every space.Therefore,with the oldest and most original image information,the handrails of the Bharhut Stupa clearly record and show the thoughts and beliefs of the ancient Indians which play an important role and have far-reaching influence on the Ages of Non-Buddhist Statue.The paper studies the images of "Lotus","Jataka" and " Indian aboriginal gods" from the handrails of the Bharhut Stupa.Compared with the same type of images engraved during the same period on the handrails of Sanchi Stupa and the Great Stupa at Amaravati,the author tries to interpret and discuss the features and meanings of these images with the interpretation of such images in the Buddhist classics.And then the author tries to deeply understand the specific meanings of the handrail sculptures in the Ages of Non-Buddhist Statue of India.