lotus throne
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In Asian art a lotus throne, sometimes lotus platform, is a stylized lotus flower used as the seat or base for a figure. It is the normal
pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ci ...
for divine figures in
Buddhist art Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, and ...
and
Hindu art Hindu art encompasses the artistic traditions and styles culturally connected to Hinduism and have a long history of religious association with Hindu scriptures, rituals and worship. Background Hinduism, with its 1.2 billion followers, makes ...
, and often seen in
Jain art Jain art refers to religious works of art associated with Jainism. Even though Jainism has spread only in some parts of India, it has made a significant contribution to Indian art and architecture. In general Jain art broadly follows the conte ...
. Originating in
Indian art Indian art consists of a variety of art forms, including painting, sculpture, pottery, and textile arts such as woven silk. Geographically, it spans the entire Indian subcontinent, including what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, N ...
, it followed
Indian religions Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification of ...
to
East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
in particular. The precise form varies, but is intended to represent the opening flower of ''
Nelumbo nucifera ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often re ...
'', the
Indian lotus ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often ref ...
. In the traditional biographies lotus flowers sprung up at
the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
's first seven steps, and in some Buddhist legends the baby
Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...
emerged from a lotus flower. The Indian lotus is an aquatic plant similar to a water lily, though not actually any close relation. It has a large, round, and flat seed head in the centre of the flower, with initially small openings above each of the relatively small number of seeds. Among other unusual characteristics, ''nelumbo nucifera'' has particular properties of repelling water, known as the
lotus effect The lotus effect refers to self-cleaning properties that are a result of ultrahydrophobicity as exhibited by the leaves of ''Nelumbo'', the lotus flower. Dirt particles are picked up by water droplets due to the micro- and nanoscopic architect ...
or
ultrahydrophobicity Ultrahydrophobic (or superhydrophobic) surfaces are highly hydrophobic, i.e., extremely difficult to wet. The contact angles of a water droplet on an ultrahydrophobic material exceed 150°. This is also referred to as the lotus effect, after the ...
. Among other symbolic meanings, it rises above the water environment it lives in, and is not contaminated by it, so providing a model for Buddhists. According to the
Pali Canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During th ...
, the Buddha himself began this often-repeated metaphor, in the
Aṅguttara Nikāya The Anguttara Nikaya ('; , also translated "Gradual Collection" or "Numerical Discourses") is a Buddhist scripture, the fourth of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that comprise the Pali ...
, saying that the lotus flower raises from the muddy water unstained, as he raises from this world, free from the defilements taught in the
sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...
. In
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
the throne is called either a '' padmāsana'' ( sa, पद्मासन, , ''
āsana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...
'' is the name for a seated position), which is also the name for the
Lotus position Lotus position or Padmasana ( sa, पद्मासन, translit=padmāsana) is a cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha ...
in meditation and
yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
, or ''padmapitha'', ''padma'' meaning lotus and ''pitha'' a base or plinth. The Indian
Saint Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious An ethnoreligious group (or an ethno-religious group) is a grouping of ...
also use it in art as a base for the
Saint Thomas Christian cross Saint Thomas Christian crosses are ancient crosses associated with the community of Ancient Christianity in the Indian Subcontinent, Indian subcontinent, who trace their origins to the evangelism of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century Anno Do ...
, also called the Persian cross, as do the
Church of the East The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...
in China for the
Nestorian cross The Nestorian Cross is associated with the Church of the East. It is composed of a cross similar to the Maltese cross, with four arms of roughly equal length which narrow in width towards the center of the cross. In Eastern Christian art in China, ...
.


History

The earliest of the
Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Co ...
s, the ''
Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...
'', describes the other gods watching the birth of
Agni Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu ...
, the god of fire, seated on lotus flowers; also the birth of
Vasishtha Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha an ...
. In Hindu myth, the major deity
Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
emerged from a lotus growing from the navel of
Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
. In art the form is first seen as a base for rare early images of
Laxmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
from the 2nd century BCE; many or most of these may have a Buddhist context. However it first becomes common with seated
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
figures in the
Greco-Buddhist art The Greco-Buddhist art or Gandhara art of the north Indian subcontinent is the artistic manifestation of Greco-Buddhism, a cultural syncretism between Ancient Greek art and Buddhism. It had mainly evolved in the ancient region of Gandhara. The s ...
of
Gandhara Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Vall ...
around the late 2nd or the 3rd century CE. It may have reached the
Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in South India, southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bou ...
as early as the end of the 2nd century. At some point, probably around 200, and before his death in about 250, the Buddhist thinker
Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...
exhorted an unknown Buddhist monarch, very probably in the Deccan, to:
... Please construct from all precious substances Images of Buddha with fine proportions Well designed and sitting on lotuses ...
– suggesting this
iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...
was current by then. It is not clear from the language whether sculptures or paintings, or both, were meant. In early Buddhist art it may be intended to specifically depict the second of
the Twin Miracle The Twin Miracle, also called the Miracle at Savatthi (Pali), or the Miracle at Śrāvastī (Sanskrit), is one of the miracles of Gautama Buddha. There are two major versions of the story that vary in some details. The Pali account of the miracle ...
s in the legend of the Buddha's life. In some accounts of this, when engaged in a contest with sorcerers, the Buddha multiplied himself into other bodies, which sat or stood on lotus flowers. It became used for other Buddhist figures, and adopted for other Hindu deities than
Laxmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
.


Form

The throne in art evolved to be rather distant from the actual plant. In historic sculpture there is very often a clear dividing line about halfway up; this type is called a "double-lotus" (''vishvapadma'') pedestal or throne. Most often petal shapes both rise and fall from the dividing line, but sometimes the upper part of the throne represents the prominent flat-topped seed head as a base for the figure, perhaps with circles for the holes holding the seeds, as in maturing lotus heads. The
bingdi lotus Bingdi lotus (), or Bingtou lotus (), is a species of lotus native to China that carries a pair of flowers on each flower stalk, whereas there is only a single flower on most other species of lotus. Bingdi lotus belongs to a special type named ...
is a particular strain with two back-to-back flowers on each stem, but it is not clear if this influenced the form in art. In
East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
n paintings, and also modern Hindu paintings, the lotus throne is often depicted more realistically in terms of its shape (though obviously not its size). File:Shri Lakshmi Lustrated by Elephants (Gaja-Lakshmi) LACMA M.85.62 (cropped).jpg,
Gaja-Laxmi Gajalakshmi (), also spelt as Gajalaxmi, is one of the most significant ''Ashtalakshmi'' aspects of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi. Mythology In Hindu mythology, Gajalakshmi is regarded to have restored the wealth and power lost by I ...
, 1st century BCE,
terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
, 14.61 cm tall. File:Dinar of Chandragupta II LACMA M.77.55.20 (2 of 3) (cropped).jpg, Gold dinar coin of
Chandragupta II Chandragupta II (r.c. 376-415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India, and was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta dynasty. Chandragupta continue ...
, reigned c. 375–c. 415 CE File:Shiva as the Lord of Dance LACMA.jpg, Restrained double-lotus throne typical of Chola bronzes, when they have them at all. Shiva
Nataraja Nataraja () also known as Adalvallaan () is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called Tandava.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2015) The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts such as the ''T ...
, 10th century. File:The Hindu Goddess Parvati LACMA M.77.82 (3 of 12).jpg, Double-thrones under
Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
, 11th century File:Juntei Kannon.jpg,
Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
, 12th-century Japan File:Tibet, mahakala sotto l'aspetto di ye-shes mgon-po, xii sec.JPG, Apart from the three figures, the pendent foot of this 12th-century Tibetan
Mahakala Mahākāla is a deity common to Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism. In Buddhism, Mahākāla is regarded as the sacred '' Dharmapāla'' ("Protector of the Dharma"), while in Hinduism, Mahākāla is a fierce manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva and th ...
has its own throne File:Krishna, the Butter Thief LACMA M.84.34 (1 of 2).jpg,
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
, the butter thief, ivory, 16th-century India File:Likir-Gompa-03.jpg, Fancy coloured Buddhist throne under
Mahakala Mahākāla is a deity common to Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism. In Buddhism, Mahākāla is regarded as the sacred '' Dharmapāla'' ("Protector of the Dharma"), while in Hinduism, Mahākāla is a fierce manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva and th ...
,
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...
File:Shri Lakshmi Lustrated by Elephants (Gaja-Lakshmi) LACMA M.74.40.1 (1 of 5).jpg, Single lotus throne under
Gaja-Laxmi Gajalakshmi (), also spelt as Gajalaxmi, is one of the most significant ''Ashtalakshmi'' aspects of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi. Mythology In Hindu mythology, Gajalakshmi is regarded to have restored the wealth and power lost by I ...
, with side stalks and buds,
Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
, 18th century File:Raja Ravi Varma, Goddess Lakshmi, 1896.jpg,
Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma ( ml, രാജാ രവിവർമ്മ; 29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples ...
, ''Goddess Lakshmi'', 1896


Representing the whole plant

The vast majority of lotus thrones just depict an isolated flower, or a group of flowers under different figures. But some images depict more of the plant. A famous relief of
Gaja-Laxmi Gajalakshmi (), also spelt as Gajalaxmi, is one of the most significant ''Ashtalakshmi'' aspects of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi. Mythology In Hindu mythology, Gajalakshmi is regarded to have restored the wealth and power lost by I ...
in Cave 16 at
Ellora Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 CE., Quote: "These 34 m ...
shows a pond of lotus leaves and budding flowers as a vertical panel below the throne. Other compositions show stalks, buds and flowers reaching up beside a main figure. These may terminate in a flower held by the main figure, especially if it is Avalokitesvara or from the 5th or 6th century Vishnu, (both also having the epithet Padmapani, "lotus holder"), or in another lotus throne behind the hand, if it is outstretched in a
mudra A mudra (; sa, मुद्रा, , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ,) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As wel ...
. Alternatively, stalks may climb up to support lotus thrones underneath minor, smaller, figures, as in the early terracotta plaque illustrated above, where stalks rise at the side to support the elephants lustrating Gaja-Laxmi. This is seen in the 1st century BCE terracotta plaque illustrated above. The
Sanchi Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen, Raisen town, dist ...
stone relief illustrated here shows a similar composition with Queen Maya, mother of the Buddha. Above or below the water, the stems may be supported by small ''naga'' figures. The lotus plant in lotus thrones is often imagined as growing out of the
cosmic ocean A cosmic ocean or celestial river is a mythological motif found in the mythology of many cultures and civilizations, representing the world or cosmos as enveloped by primordial waters. In ancient creation texts, the primordial waters are often ...
, and a few images represent the plant below the water level, with a stem also representing the
world axis In astronomy, axis mundi is the Latin term for the Axial tilt, axis of Earth between the celestial poles. In a geocentric coordinate system, this is the axis of rotation of the celestial sphere. Consequently, in ancient Greco-Roman astronom ...
.Coomaraswamy, 20, 53–55


Notes


References

* Coomaraswamy, Ananda, ''Elements of Buddhist Iconography'', Harvard University Press, 1935
online text
*Jansen, Eva Rudy, ''The Book of Hindu Imagery: The Gods and their Symbols'', 1993, Binkey Kok Publications, , 9789074597074
google books
*Krishan, Yuvrajmm, Tadikonda, Kalpana K., ''The Buddha Image: Its Origin and Development'', 1996, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, , 9788121505659,
google books
*Lerner, Martin and Kossak, Steven, ''The Lotus Transcendent: Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Samuel Eilenberg Collection'', 1991, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), , 9780870996139
google books
*Michell, George (1990), ''The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu'', 1990, Penguin Books, *Moore, Albert C., Klein, Charlotte, ''Iconography of Religions: An Introduction'', 1977, Chris Robertson, , 9780800604882
google books
*Pal, Pratapaditya, ''Indian Sculpture: Circa 500 B.C.-A.D. 700'', Volume 1 of ''Indian Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection'', 1986, Los Angeles County Museum of Art/University of California Press, , 9780520059917
google books
*Rodrigues, H
"The Sacred Lotus Symbol"
''Mahavidya'', 2016 *Walser, Joseph, ''Nagarjuna in Context: Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture'', 2005, Columbia University Press, {{ISBN, 0231506236, 9780231506236
google books
Buddhist iconography Hindu iconography Indian art Jain iconography Plants in art Flowers in religion