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

Bibliographic Details
Title: A Patchwork of Hindu Ritual Practices and Technique Performances? A Re-Examination of the Citrakarmaśāstra, a Vajrayānic Sanskrit Śilpa Text Discovered in Sri Lanka
Authors: Weilin Wu
Source: Religions, Vol 15, Iss 2, p 146 (2024)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
Subject Terms: the Citrakarmaśāstra, Buddhist image making, śilpa, South India, Sri Lanka, Religions. Mythology. Rationalism, BL1-2790
More Details: 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 the making of images, 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.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2077-1444
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/2/146; https://doaj.org/toc/2077-1444
DOI: 10.3390/rel15020146
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/967caf6b954147d6a77cb611ef572f29
Accession Number: edsdoj.967caf6b954147d6a77cb611ef572f29
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:20771444
DOI:10.3390/rel15020146
Published in:Religions
Language:English