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The Shan people are a distinct ethnic
group
that
today constitute Myanmar’s largest
minority
group. However, from the 13th until
the 16th
Century, they dominated most of the
country.
They are largely Buddhist, and their
language
and
customs are closely related to the
Thai and
Laotians their neighbors to the south
and
east. In
the 19th Century, long after their
power had
eroded, they were distributed among
thirty
petty
states that paid tribute first to the
Burman
King,
then to the British. This arrangement
remained
more or less in tact until 1922 when
the
Federated Shan States were joined
together.
In
1947, a unified Shan States was
created
under
the Burmese Constitution. Although
much of
their autonomy has been relinquished
to the
central government, the Shan retain
their
unique
cultural identity and ethnic heritage.
This specific type of Buddha, which is
unique to
Myanmar in the oeuvre of Buddhist art,
is
know
as the Subdoer of Jambhupati. The
flamboyant
headdress with wing-like flanges that
crowns
the
Buddha’s head is the hallmark of this
type,
which
became particularly popular from the
late
18th
Century onwards. Although the Buddha
wore
only monastic robes, his luxurious
adornments
can be explained by an ancient legend
recorded
in Pali texts. A powerful king named
Jambhupati
once threatened to annex the
neighboring
territory of King Bimbisara, who was a
friend
of
the Buddha. Buddha sent his follower
Sakka
to
bring forth King Jambhupati before him
for
admonition. Meanwhile, the Buddha
miraculously commanded a magnificent
palace
to be constructed in one night and he
took
his
seat upon a jeweled throne dressed in
splendid
robes. When Jambhupati was brought in
to
meet
him, he was so overwhelmed by the
wealth
and
power of the Buddha that he renounced
his
kingdom and became a monk.
Poised on a large lotus throne in the
characteristic seated virasana
position of
meditation, this stunning bronze
sculpture of
the
Buddha as the Subdoer of Jambhupati
emanates
a remarkable spiritual beauty and
force that
is
timeless in its ability to move the
beholder as
it
once moved the tyrant King. Each
graceful
hand
forms a mudra, the mystical ritual
gestures
that
signify various powers. The right hand
is in
bhumisparsa mudra, the gesture of
fearlessness,
while his left hand is in dyana mudra,
the
gesture of meditation. Elaborate
ornamentation
decorates the Buddha’s body,
including
bracelets
and a beaded necklace, and an
elaborate
crown
with undulating flanges. The
treatment of
the
flanges is somewhat unique in Buddhist
art
and
has its closest counterparts in the
Hindu
Chola
bronzes of Southern India. With his
softly
modeled facial expression and ethereal
body
gestures, this sculpture of the Buddha
gives
us
the sensation of his dramatic power
and
mystical
serenity that once converted King
Jambhupati.
Such a complex and masterful work of
art is
truly
a glorious experience to behold.
- (FZ.433)
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