Faculty Research Lecture Series: Nicolas Morrissey

Ritual Efficacy, Astral Deities and Regional Patronage at Nandhadīrghika-vihāra, (West Bengal, India)

In 1987, a chance discovery near Jagjivanpur village located in the northern area of Malda District, West Bengal revealed a sizeable copper-plate inscription in pristine condition. Following several campaigns of archaeological exploration in the area of the copper-plate find, a sizeable Buddhist monastic complex was uncovered and now identified as Nandadīrghika vihāra, dating to the ninth century CE. Amongst the excavated remains of this elaborate Buddhist monastery is a large cache of singularly well-preserved sculpted terracotta plaques. These plaques exhibit an eclectic myriad of motifs, including representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, astral deities, zodiac symbols, auspicious emblems, as well as, intriguingly, instantiations of Vedic and Hindu deities such as Surya, Agni and Shiva. This research presentation seeks to argue that, far from being anomalous, the eclectic imagery on these terracotta plaques from Jagjivanpur conforms to a consistent pattern of representation discernible at a range of Indian Buddhist monastic institutions during the medieval period, which may, in turn, reflect a remarkably porous ritual and artistic environment that merits further investigation.