Southeast Asian Art Study Guide 2

Bust

sculpture of a person from the chest up

Trefoil

decorative three lobed pattern, one less than a clover leaf

Seal

used to identify origin to traded goods with an impression

Vedas

“knowledge”, religious texts and sacred scriptures, form foundation of Hinduism

Megalith

large stone, part of a monument

Siddhartha Gautama

The Buddha, ascetic and religious teacher, taught the four noble truths to help people achieve Enlightenment and overcome suffering

Karma

the universal law of cause and effect

Samsara

the cycle of birth, disease, death, and decay

Nirvana

release from samsara, state of being after realization you are one with Brahman

Stupa

a ritual mound that contains relics of the Buddha

Torana

large gateways with sculptures, building them translated into good karma

Bodhisattva

compassionate and wise beings who dedicate themselves to teaching others how to achieve Enlightenment rather than reaching it themselves

Mudra

hand gestures that can be literal or figurative and can channel different energies/meanings

Ushnisha

a protrusion from the top of Buddha’s head, can also represent the Buddha’s crown

Urna

a dot between the Buddha’s eyes that represents divine, all-knowing vision

Linga

a phallic symbol of Shiva, meaning divine generative energy

Shiva

god of destruction and creation, Lord of the Dance (creation/destruction of life)

Vishnu

The Preserver, has 10 separate incarnations

Devi

embodiment of the cosmic energy that the male gods draw upon, can represent beauty and wrath, can embody a god’s relational consort

Garbhagriha

a temple’s main sanction of the deity

Shikhara

the tower above the inner sanctum of the temple

Mandala

concentric circles and squares, spiritual diagram of the cosmos

Darshan

auspicious sight, the relation between the follower and the deity, a spiritual exchange through sight

Mandapa

the rooms/chambers before the garbhagriha

Mithunas

amorous couple, represents fertility and is considered auspicious

Patron

someone who funds/commissions a work

Suryavarman II

patron on the Angkor Wat site

Mount Meru

Ramayana

Hindu epic that narrates the life of Rama who is related to Vishnu

Indra

king of the gods

Woodblock print

relief printing process, image is carved into wood and raised areas are inked onto a fabric medium

Resist-dyed

using clay and mud to resist color absorption on textiles

Illuminated Manuscript

handwritten book that features paintings

Mughal Empire

covers roughly modern day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; creation of the Taj Mahal

Mausoleum

building/monument that houses a burial chamber

Minarets

four corner towers, call for prayer at a mosque

Charbagh

refers to an equal 4-part garden

Ravana

multi-headed demon king of Lanka

Priest-king bust, found at Mohenjo Daro (Sindh province, Pakistan), Indus period, c. 2600-1900 BCE, steatite, 7” high

Seals showing one-horned animals, an elephant, and Indus script, Indus period, c. 2600-1900 BCE, steatite, approximate width around 1”

Plain of Jars, Iron Age, c. 500 BCE-300CE, Xieng Khouang province, Laos

Ashokan edict pillar, Lauriya Nandangarh, Champaran District, India, c. 250 BCE

the Great Stupa, c. 250 BCE, expanded and railing added c. 50–25 BCE. Sanchi, India.

The Buddha preaching the first sermon, Sarnath, India, Gupta period, c. 475 CE. Sandstone

Temple to Vishnu, Gupta period, early sixth century CE. Deogarh, India.

Mahajanaka Jataka mural (detail), Cave 1, Ajanta, India, c. 460–500 CE

Eternal Shiva (three-faced linga) flanked by guardian figures, Shiva Cave temple, Elephanta, India, sixth century CE