Abstract

The visual representation of the deities and their world has enjoyed a great place in almost all the South Asian Religions. There have been numerous ways in which people have tried to visualize their deity. The visual representation and the text has a very cyclical relationship. Historically, sometimes, the visual representation has followed the text, others the text followed the visual representation. But, the most interesting intersection occurs when one starts playing the role of the other and vice versa. It is this intersection that represents the relationship of both of these mediums as well as the changing nature of these mediums in the South Asian Society. One great example of this shift in the paradigm is the emergence of the Maṇḍala. Maṇḍala is a complicated imagery, used by many of the South Asian traditions, specifically by Tantric (Tibetan) Buddhism. By its very nature, philosophically, Maṇḍala represents the coming together of two worlds i.e. the material (Samsāra) and the spiritual (nirvāna). Historically, it also represents the coming together of two different mediums i.e. the visual and the textual. In its ritualistic context, any Maṇḍala itself becomes a text for the practitioner; a text which allows them to understand the sacred geography of the whole universe. In many senses, Maṇḍala is used by followers as a textbook to understand the universe. It is this intersectionality of visuality and textuality, in its socio-religious context of South Asian traditions that this paper attempts to understand.

Presenters

Megha Yadav
Assistant Professor, Department of History, School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, India, Andhra Pradesh, India

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

The Form of the Image

KEYWORDS

BUDDHISM, MANDALA, TIBET

Digital Media

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