Bhaishajyaguru or Medicinal Buddha

$95
Item Code: DK79
Specifications:
Madhubani Painting on Hand Made PaperFolk Painting from the Village of Madhubani (Bihar)
Dimensions 20.0 inch X 27.0 inch
Handmade
Handmade
Free delivery
Free delivery
Fully insured
Fully insured
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
Fair trade
Fair trade
Rarely a theme of folk, the painting represents Buddha as Bhaishajyaguru – Master of medicine, or the medicine Buddha, the unfailing healer of the ills of ‘sansara’ – world, an aspect of classical iconography as it evolved in centuries’ long tradition of Buddhist art. Bhaishajyaguru is considered as a transform of Akshobhya – ‘steadfast’, the Buddha fixed within him, the form that common man identifies as Buddha in Bhumi-sparsha-mudra – his earth-touching posture, one of the basic forms with which the Buddha was initially conceived in the Buddhist iconographical tradition. Later, there evolved a number of forms of the Medicine Buddha himself. The Tibetan Buddhism discovered some seven forms of the Medicine Buddha, Bhaishajyaguru being the main among them. The Tibetan people greatly revered these seven forms and invoked each for redeeming from a specific illness.

Bhaishajyaguru is broadly the next stage of Akshobhya, as while Akshobhya is fixed within him defeating ills facing him, Bhaishajyaguru leads others defeat their ills that face them. Bhaishajyaguru, the physician of human passions, not the ills of body, does not show the path of defeating death, old age, or even sickness, but only the fear of them for their fear, not such ills, is their arch enemy. Hence, in iconographic tradition Bhaishajyaguru is represented firstly, in ‘dhyanasana’ that is, as fixed within him, wearing monastic garments and endowed with ‘urna’ – a small rounded protuberance in the centre of eye-brows, ‘usnisha’ – tuft of hair, and long-lobbed ears, and secondly, as holding his right hand in ‘abhaya’ imparting freedom from fear, sometimes carrying in it a fruit or a twig of myrobalan, and the left, placed on his lap with a pot held in it. Pot – ‘ghata’, is symbolic of both, one’s ‘withinness’ where he is required to fix himself, as also, contents that it contains, the nectar or medicine.

Thus, the painting representing Buddha as Bhaishajyaguru is not a mere blend of two domains, but it is rather a delightful transformation of classicism into the folk, refreshing, naïve and mesmeric. Most folk art forms inherited the tribal traditions of adorning their abodes, their mud-huts, with forms from around them, and in mediums – usually coloured clay soils or what nature afforded and lay around them. Hence, they usually have a limited range of colours. Slightly different from their idioms a Madhubani painting chooses, though not always, a wider range of colours as also the motifs and imagery from different worlds : human, animal and nature, but the ingenuity with which this canvas has chosen its palette : a galaxy of black, red, green, pink, brown, grey, and mixed tints of yellow and green, all in bright tones and bold patterns, is not always seen even in Madhubani tradition.

Of all kinds of portraits this painting’s option for this aspect of Buddha, which combined the world of nature with the man’s, was based, perhaps, on its ability to better attune to a folk tradition, Madhubani in particular, of which cosmic unity is the core. As its essence this form of Buddha has around his figure a number of creepers, though symbolic of medicinal plants, which indicates that the life mutually sustains and the worlds of man and nature are indivisible. For further widening this folk thesis of synthesizing the worlds of man and nature, the painting portrays the great Master as seated on a lotus rising from the ocean, or water – nature’s other domain, a more characteristic feature of Vaishnava iconography, Lakshmi’s in special.

Fractions of vines, painted around the great Master’s head, symbolic of his power to heal, are not without a few birds perching around his head; alike, the waters around the lotus, he is seated on, abounds in a number of sportive fish. The Madhubani artist perceives in this form of Buddha not merely the worlds of men, animals and nature merging but also barriers of other kinds, even the gender, transcending. Besides that installed on a lotus rising in the ocean the figure of the Buddha leads the mind to see its parallel in Lakshmi’s imagery, somewhat feminizing his appearance, even the proper iconographic features of his image have been conceived as overlapping male and female identities, perhaps believing that on his level of magnification he was as much a woman as a man, or his feminineness was seen as manifesting the tenderness of a compassionate mind as the Buddha was.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.


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Colors of Tradition: Exploring the Artistry Behind Madhubani Paintings

Madhubani painting is also known as Mithila art as it is practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. It has specifically originated from the Madhubani district of the state of Bihar. Traditionally, the women of this region created these paintings and in recent years, it has become a widely practiced art and has now become renowned throughout the world. This art expresses the creativity and culture of the people of Mithila and is passed from one generation to another. In this way, the heritage of Madhubani art has been preserved for many decades. The subjects of these paintings are usually religion, love, and fertility. Sometimes, social events like festivals, weddings, and royal court are also depicted in the paintings. The most commonly painted designs and themes are the forms of Hindu Gods and Goddesses such as Ganesha, Shiva, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Krishna, and Ram. The characteristic features of Madhubani paintings are their vibrant colors and eye-catching geometrical patterns. The empty spaces are filled with traditional motifs such as floral and foliate patterns, animals, birds, geometrical structures, and other designs. The local artists create these paintings using a variety of items such as matchsticks, twigs, brushes, pens, or even their own fingers. The paints are usually made with natural dyes and pigments.
As simple as it may seem, the making process of the world-famous Madhubani paintings is certainly not easy and requires lots of hard labor.
Traditional Madhubani paintings are done either on cloth, handmade paper, or canvas. Select the medium of painting as per your choice. If you have chosen cloth, attach it to cardboard to make a solid base. The making of the painting begins with making a double-lined border. This is a very important step because the border is filled with various geographical shapes and patterns or other motifs. The average width of the border is 1.5 - 2 cm. Now that the border is created, you will be left with a blank middle space. This is the main workspace. Start drawing your choice of figure, designs, and shapes. These must be relevant to the Madhubani painting themes.
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When the key design has been made, the empty spaces in between are filled with some designs.
Now is the time to color the painting using vivid shades and hues. Colors in Madhubani are sourced from nature; Indigo is used to produce blue, flower juice produces red, turmeric gives yellow, leaves produce green, cow dung mixed soot gives black, and rice powder gives white.
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To paint these colors, the artist uses a bamboo stick and wraps cotton around it. This acts as a traditional brush.
The entire painting is now painted using this special brush with natural vibrant colors. · However, in modern times, the common brush is used and instead of natural colors, artists prefer to use acrylic paints.
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Since the entire painting is made with natural materials and colors, it appears simple yet enriching. Originally, this art was created on mud walls or soil grounds but when it evolved over many years, the people of Madhubani started to make it on fabric and paper. Today, this art has become globalized and is receiving worldwide attention and appreciation.
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