Facade of a Cave in Ajanta
Ajanta Caves,Gupta Period, 5th Century CE
Indian art, at times, deals with contradictions. Here in the facade of a cave the artist has juxtaposed Kuber sitting with his bag of gems with a large size standing Buddha. The message is loud and clear: the wealthy versus the mendicant. The grahasthi ( the householder ) versus the aesetic. While Hinduism has emphasised on the householder by depicting the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Lord Shiva) as married gods, Buddhism has emphasised the monkhood. Renunciation and detachment are essential to Buddhism. Although detachment is emphasised in Hinduism, but renunciation is underplayed. Buddhism, in a sense, is individualistic. For each individual is on his inward journey of trying to find his own path to Nirvana. Hinduism, on the other hand, is a religion which emphasises on the community and on our duty towards the community. Since Man is a social animal, Buddhism is a more difficult religion to follow than Hinduism. This may explain the decline of Buddhism in India.
Although Buddhism has almost disappeared from India, it has left an undeniable imprint on Indian art and philosophy.
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