(9th–14th c.), in which another impor-
tant medium was bronze. The images
were made using lost wax casting,
which allows for great detail. They were
cast in bronze with a high copper con-
tent, which tended to give them a green-
ish tinge as the metal oxidized. Some of
the images are only a few inches high,
albeit with exquisite detail, whereas the
largest are over four feet tall and even
today are the primary images worshiped
in temples. These images were subject
to the same established rules of con-
struction (shilpa shastra) as stone
sculptures. Despite this strict form,
many of the bronzes are masterful works
of art with a presence rarely found in the
stone sculptures. Although images were
made of all of the deities in the pan-
theon, among the best known bronzes
are figures of the god Shivaas Nataraja,
“the Lord of the Dance.”
Buddha Avatar
The ninth avatar, or “incarnation,” of
the god Vishnu. As the only attested his-
torical figure (and one who clearly dif-
fered with the Hindu orthodoxy of his
time), the Buddha avatar shows how the
avatar doctrine was used to envelop and
assimilate existing religious figures.
Although this designation as an avatar
was an attempt to appropriate a signifi-
cant religious figure by projecting him as
an incarnation of Vishnu, this attempt’s
transparency can be seen in the differ-
ing opinions over this avatar. In the
opening chapter of his Gitagovinda, the
poet Jayadevaclaims that Vishnu incar-
nated as the Buddha to condemn the
animal sacrifices prevalent in Vedic
times. Other accounts portray him as
misleading the wicked by instructing
them to deny the authority of the Vedas
(which the historical Buddha explicitly
denied) and drive themselves into
hell. Despite being named as one of
the avatars, the Buddha was never
worshiped by Vaishnavas, and
Buddhists themselves have certainly
never accepted this assertion.Buddha Purnima
The full moonin the lunar monthof
Baisakh (April–May). Buddhists
throughout the world celebrate this full
moon as the anniversary of the Buddha’s
birth, enlightenment, and death.
Although many Hindus respect the
Buddha as a sage and religious teacher,
he is not central to Hindu religion.
Therefore, this is not a major festival,
although this particular full moon is still
named for him. More recently, the dayof
this full moon has been described as the
best day of the yearfor bathing (snana)
in sacred rivers, a practice that the
Buddha would certainly have
denounced. Given the auspiciousness
connected with every full moon, this
may be an effort to “take back” the day
as a Hindu holiday by emphasizing a
distinctively Hindu practice.Buddhi
This word refers to the mental faculty
often translated as “intellect,” but it car-
ries connotations beyond mere knowl-
edge. The buddhi is the intellectual
capability for awareness, mental per-
ception, and decision-making, and as
such it is the basis for all cognitive
thought. In the account of evolution
found in the Samkhyaphilosophical
school, buddhi is one stage in the evolu-
tion of the human personality and the
external world. In the Samkhya account,Buddha Avatar
Depiction of the god Vishnu’s Buddha avatar.
Some Hindus claim that the Buddha was
actually an incarnation of Vishnu.