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The Medieval Sculpture of Kashmir
| Title: | The Medieval Sculpture of Kashmir | | Author: | Goetz, Hermann | | Publication: | Marg | | Enumeration: | Vol. 8 Issue no. 2; March 1955, p. 65-75 | | Abstract: | From its starting point in a degenerated provincial Gupta style, medieval Kashmir art developed under the Karkota, Utpala, and Lohara dynasties between the 8th and 12th centuries CE. The first outside influence to enrich the later Gupta style was Chinese, evident in the statues of Parihasapura which had T'ang prototypes. This Chinese influence was superseded by other influences, all of which -- Kanauj, later Gupta, Gandharan, and Roman -- synthesized to create the characteristic medieval art of Kashmir during the last years of King Lalitaditya Muktapida. This style, with its characteristic postures, costumes, and religious iconography, is evident in the last additions to the Martand temple, sanctuaries of Buniyar and Bandi, Narastan, Wangath (Jyeshthesa), and Firozpur-Drang. The best known monuments of the Utpala period (9th century) are the temples of Avantivarman at Avantipur. The general typology sticks to Kanauj-late Gupta origin, with a considerable admixture of Kushana (Gandhara), Sasanian, and Central Asian Iranian costumes and ornament features. The monuments of Sankaravarman (883-902 CE), which exhibit Rashtrakuta iconographic influence, show the first forebodings of decadence. The stone and stucco sculptures belonging to the period of Sankaravarman's successors show qualitative variations - the shivalinga at Baramula and the Gajalakshmi from Zahanpur are well-executed, while a decadent style is seen in the sculptures at Vijabror and Pandrenthan. Kashmir art now expanded over Ladakh, Spiti, and western Tibet due to the activities of the Kashmir Lotsavas. There was a recovery of art in the reign of Queen Didda (958-1003 CE), but there was a transition from stone temples to wooden architecture, which revolutionized sculpture: in place of exteriorinnumerable figures and groups within an architectural and floral ornamental framework were now indulged in. The last phase of Kashmir art was under the Lohara kings Sangramaraja, Ananta, Source of Abstract: Provided by Publisher | | Tools: |
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