The Buddha and the Sun Disk
Some Reflections on the Dialectics of Light in a Relief from Matkanai, Pakistan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7146166 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jessie Pons (0000-0003-1211-2213, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 2025 |
| Pages | 171-220 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Acta Asiatica Varsoviensia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0860-6102 • E-ISSN: 2449-8653 |
| Publisher | Department of AAV and Hemispheres, Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, PAS (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.60018/acasva.xbmi1252 |
| OpenAlex | W7120003294 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 21 |
This paper examines a fragmentary relief from Matkanai (Malakand, Pakistan), housed in the Dir Museum, Chakdara. The relief depicts a solar disk set within a cave, partially obscuring a seated Buddha in padmāsana, whose right knee emerges from behind the disk. While Gandharan art is renowned for its use of “luminous” iconographies, such as nimbuses, full-body halos, and flaming shoulders, this example introduces a new visual grammar. The aim of this paper is to offer an interpretation for this relief and to clarify how light and solar metaphors are encoded in this unusual representation of the Buddha
Buddhism · Dialectic · Gautama Buddha · Historical and Architectural Studies · Historical Astronomy and Related Studies · Indian and Buddhist Studies
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |