Asian Art Exam 2

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Emperor Ashoka

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an emperor of ancient India of the Maurya dynasty; he contributed to the spread of Buddhism & was a great patron of Buddhist art

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Buddha

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literally means "The Awakened One," the founder of Buddhism

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Stupa

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hemisphere burial mound houses ashes of Buddha or other holy persons

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chaitya-hall

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a hall containing a stupa, a fundamental Buddhist architectural form w/pillars & vaulted roof, a sacred place for gathering of the faithful

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vihara

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a basic Buddhist architectural form constructed as a large dwelling place divided into cells of monks

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yakshi

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Hindu female local deity of fertility

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Nirvana

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the state after which a person is released from the cycle of rebirth

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Jataka tales

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stories of the previous lives of Buddha

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Theravada/Hinayana Buddhism

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School of Buddhism that believes Buddha is a historical figure & great teacher; each person must work out his/her own salvation by exactly following what Buddha did to achieve his enlightenment

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Kushan period

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a dynasty of ancient India (50-320 CE), ruled by the Kushans, a nomadic group of people who came from central Asia; in this period, the first images of Buddha appeared; 2 schools of Buddhist art are known as the Mathura & the Gandhra

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Gupta period

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this dynasty succeeded the Kushan dynasty (320-600 CE); this period was the zenith of Buddhist art; it had an enormous influence on Buddhist art of later periods of India & beyond; Mathura & Sarnath are the 2 regional schools of Buddhist art of this period

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Mathura

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a place in central India, the center of Buddhist art in the Kushan & Gupta periods

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Gandhara

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a place in northwestern India, the center of Buddhist art in the Kushan period; the Gandharan style is strongly influenced by Roman art

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Sarnath

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the place where Buddha preached the first sermon in north India, a center of Buddhist art in the Gupta period

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Mudra

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hand gesture of Buddha w/diff meanings

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Mahayana Buddhism

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"the greater vehicle," a school of Buddhism diff from Theravada Buddhism, Buddha is believed to be divine & can intervene in human salvation

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Bodhisattva

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a new idea of Mahayana Buddhism, "being of wisdom," beings whose essence is intelligence & who had achieved enlightenment & could enter Nirvana but choose to stay in this world to help other beings do so

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Brama

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a hindu god, the creator

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Vishnu

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a Hindu God, the preserver, represents the aspect of sustaining life; has 10 incarnations

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Shiva

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A Hindu God, the destroyer, who has the power of destruction & recreation; he is the Lord of Dance & Lord of Animals

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Brahman

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a Hindu concept, the only real existence, the universal spirit, or undifferentiated eternal principle of existence of Hinduism

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Lingam

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Phallus-shaped representation of Shiva, usually worshiped in a sanctuary of a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva

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Avatar

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the incarnation of a Hindu deity; Vishnu has 10 avatars

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descent of the ganges

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an open air relief carved onto a living rock, a Hindu pilgrimage site, located at Mamallapuram, India, created in 7th century CE, commissioned by local king, representing the power of creation

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Kailasanatha

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a Hindu pilgrimage site located at Ellura, carved out of a stone cliff, 8th to 9th century CE, commissioned by a local king, lockal king- Krishna I; the main temple represents the residence of Shiva & his wife, the World Mountain, w/a lingam enshrined on it

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Angkor Wat

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a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, also a mausoleum of a Khmer king named Suryavarman II, build in the first half of the 12th century CE, now a pilgrimage site

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the Churning of the Sea of Milk

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a relief carving on the interior wall of the hallway of the temple of Angkor Wat, Cambodia, built by a Khmer king name Suryavarman II in the 1st half of the 12th century CE; tells story of how Vishnu reconstituted the balance of good & evil & thus saved the world

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mount meru

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the resisdence of the god Vishnu, also called the World Mountain

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Devaraja

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it is a newly designed cult of Hinduism in Cambodia; Deva means god; raja means ruler; so, devaraja means god-kings; refers to the Khmer rulers who had both the religious & political power

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northern Wei

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a dynasty of China est by a group of pastoral ppl from Mongolia, 386-535 CE; the Northern Wei rulers adopted Buddhism as a state religion & sponsored many Buddhist monasteries & arts; the colossal Buddha at Yungang is an example of the Buddhist caves sponsored by the Northern Wei rulers

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Bamiyan

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a Buddhist pilgrimage site w/many rock-cut cave temples in Afghanistan, 4th-5th c CE; a colossal standing Buddha was there; Buddhism was introduced from India to China thru Bamiyan & the images there had strong impact on Chinese Buddhist art

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Yungang

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in Datong, Shanxi, China, a Buddhist pilgrimage site w/many rock cut cave temples commissioned by the Northern Wei rulers int he 2nd half of the 5th c CE; the seated colossal Buddha is in Cave XX from this site

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Pagoda

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a chinese version of the stupa in the form of Chinese watch tower, constructed of brick, to house the relics of Buddha

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Asuka period

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a dynasty of ancient Japan, dated to 552-645 CE; Buddhism was introduced to Japan & adopted as a state religion in this period; Horyu-ji temple was constructed then

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Horyu-ji

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a Japanese Buddhist temple built in the early 7th century CE, int he Asuka period, near Nara, Japan; it's the oldest extant wood construction in the world; it was modeled after Chinese Buddhist temples & built in the style of Chinese palaces

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Chumon

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the front gate of Horyu-ji temple, early 7th c CE near Nara, Japan

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Kondo

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Golden Hall, the image hall in Horyu-ji temple, early 7th century CE, near Nara, Japan; the Shaka triad is housed in this building

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Pagoda

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multi-storied towers used as relic halls in China & Japan, functions as a stupa does in India; it is to house the relics of Buddha or famous monks

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Shaka Triad

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gilded-bronze group of Buddhist statues by Tori Busshi inside the kondo at Horyu-ji, cast in 623 CE near Nara, Japan

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Islam

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the religious system of the Muslims; submission means giving oneself to God; Islam has a twofold meaning: peace & submission to God; one must consciously & conscientiously give oneself to the service of allah, the one almighty God; it was founded by Muhammad in the 6th c CE in Arabia; the faithful believe that there is only one true God, Allah; Muhammad is a messenger of God

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Koran

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the sacred book of the Muslims consisting of revelations orally delivered by Mohammad & collected after his death; the Koran is written in Arabic in 114 chapters

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Moslem/Muslim

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a believer in the religious of Islam

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Muhammad

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founder of the religion of Islam (570-632 CE), born in Mecca, acclaimed himself to be a prophet of God

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mosque

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an Islamic temple, or place of worship

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Qibla/kiblah

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the direction of Mecca, toward which prayer is directed

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Mihrab

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a niche in the mosque indicating direction of prayer

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Mosque at Cordoba (Spain)

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begun in 786 CE, enlarged several times; it has a large hall supported by marble columns; it's the largest religious architecture in the world

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Hypostyle hall

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a type of structure that utilizes closely-spaced columns for direct support of the roof; its additive structure allows for easy enlargements

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Vedic period (1500-600 BCE)

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intervening period btwn Indus & early Buddhist period of India; assoc w/ religious writings (Vedas, ca 1000 BCE); Upanisads (later, ca 7th c BCE); migration of Yueh-Che & other nomads into India (loosely called Aryans); forced Dravidians to 4 southern states in India

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Dravidians: Indus population

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indigenous population created Indus civ; later epochs of civ blends Indo Europeans; called Aryans, generally, collectively

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Aryans ("nobles")

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brought in caste system (only outlawed mid-20th c); assoc later w/swastika (India's sun symbol) & which was denigrated by Nazis 20th c; intro'd Sanskrit for noble & spiritually advanced