Buddha images and votive folk art.
This section is dedicated to the endless myriad of mythical gods, heroes, and hermits, strange animals and folk lore that exists in the lands that stretch from Tibet, through China and Burma, Indo China and Thailand. The cultures that surround the stories of the Buddha’s life and times vary from country to country.
Tibetan Buddhism is very different to that practiced in Thailand and Burma. Many of the legends have a similar theme, but are played out with different caricatures. In Tibet we hear of Dharmapalas, and wrathful deities, in Burma there is a culture of Nats and ghosts. Folk lore includes animals, both real and imagined. Buddha images and votive figures play an important role, in what remains a very superstitious part of the world.
All of these gods, bodhisattvas, deities, kings, animals, mythical beasts are represented in the art of the counties where Buddhism is practiced. In this site we offer a selection, carved in wood and stone, ceramic, plaster, and cement.
At any one time you are likely to encounter the following. Chinese Dragons , Garuda , Nagas ,Erawan ,Kinnara , Kinniri , Vidhura , thewada , devas , mermaids, yak kumari , Nat Yok the 3 headed elephant Girimekhala, Ganesha ,Airavana, Bhuridatta, winged goats, Manohara ,Maitreya Buddha of the future, chedi, chorten, Hanuman, Rahu the moon demon, Sariputta and Moggallana the Buddha’s two chief disciples. Nakayain nat, Peacock, elephants, Shingha, Hong, Makara , Karaweik , papier mache, Tara ,Shakyamuni ,animal headed bipeds ,Mara, Zipak ,Quilin Chinese unicorn, phoenix, windhorse, manjushri ,bats ,Owls , lamas , monks ,Lakshmi ,Jambala , Gandhara ,ghouls ,Begtse.
Simpler, are depictions of the Chinese 12 year animal cycle. Rat,ox,tiger,hare,dragon,snake,horse,goat,monkey,cock,dog
and pig.
The abundance of wood in both Burma and Thailand enabled folk tales and fables
to be enacted through the use of carved wooden figures. It is still possible
to see large sets of brightly painted figures dating from the 1950’s
.Old men, priests, a dying man, small children, hermits, all play their part
in the stories. Another popular way of story telling was with the help of
carved wooden panels that were mounted on the verandahs of monastic buildings.
These were still used in Burma until very recently. Each small section of
the panel was accompanied by a text painted above and below.
Older 19th c figures give us a tremendous insight into the costume of the time, and are a great piece of social history.