Mahadeva

Abstract

The article is devoted to an examination of the iconography of Mahadeva as represented in nine distinct meanings and forms of this term and name in Buddhist art. The authors consider the peculiarities of Mahadeva's depiction in Buddhist sutras, on the column of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, in the Hariti temple on Gopuccha mountain (Nepal), on the main wall of the second gallery of the Borobudur (Indonesia). Additionally, the article references the following works: the Collection of Images of Mudras in Mantrayana' (Shingon mikkyo zuin shu), the Zenzai Doji's Fifty-five Pilgrimages, also known as Zenzai Doji emaki, the Fo-kuo's work Wen-shu chih-nan t'u-tsan — Pictures and eulogies of Sudhana's journey in accordance with the guidance of Manjusri, and the scientific works of the 20th century. The iconographic descriptions made on the material from all countries and regions where Buddhism has exerted an influence permit not only the reliable reconstruction of the stages of formation of the Buddhist pantheon, but also the practical application of the results obtained for the attribution and interpretation of Buddhist art monuments. The scientific translation of Lokesh Chandra's article from the Dictionary of Buddhist Iconography is by S.M. Belokurova.