A Patchwork of Hindu Ritual Practices and Technique Performances? A Re-Examination of the Citrakarmaśāstra, a Vajrayānic Sanskrit Śilpa Text Discovered in Sri Lanka

The Mañjuśrībhāṣita-Citrakarmaśāstra, a Sanskrit śilpa work discovered in Sri Lanka, deals exclusively with Buddhist image making. It provides technical instructions for the fabrication of Buddhist images as well as guidance for initial and final consecrations. This article offers a comparative inte...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wu, Weilin 1969- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: MDPI 2024
In: Religions
Year: 2024, Volume: 15, Issue: 2
Further subjects:B the Citrakarmaśāstra
B Buddhist image making
B śilpa
B Sri Lanka
B South India
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Description
Summary:The Mañjuśrībhāṣita-Citrakarmaśāstra, a Sanskrit śilpa work discovered in Sri Lanka, deals exclusively with Buddhist image making. It provides technical instructions for the fabrication of Buddhist images as well as guidance for initial and final consecrations. This article offers a comparative intertextual study of the main body of the manuscript, including chapters concerning tree selection, the ratnanyāsa ritual, the techniques of clay modeling in image-making, and the eye-opening ceremony. This study suggests that the Mañjuśrībhāṣita-Citrakarmaśāstra bears a remarkable resemblance to South Indian Hindu śilpa texts and does not perfectly correspond with actual practices and performances. The main part of the Mañjuśrībhāṣita-Citrakarmaśāstra is probably dated no earlier than the 11th century but no later than the 16th century.
ISSN:2077-1444
Contains:Enthalten in: Religions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3390/rel15020146