Buddhapada: Following the Buddha’s Footprints

By Jacques de Guerny

The Buddhapada is one of the most enigmatic artistic developments that has derived from the Buddhist faith. Literally ‘foot (or feet) of the Buddha’, its most common manifestation is that of a footprint, rendered in three dimensions in stone or metal, or less commonly on cloth or paper. Often replete with complex symbolism, they serve both as a tool of instruction on the underlying concepts of Buddhism, and as a timeless reminder to the faithful of the Buddha’s presence and power.
The author traces the evolution of this pinnacle of early Buddhist art from its origins in north India over two millennia ago, through its long migration in time and space, to its present prominence throughout Buddhist Asia. Documenting many fine examples along the way, the author completes this first pan-Asian survey of the Buddhapada with fascinating anecdotes of the monks, pilgrims and laymen encountered in his odyssey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orchid Press
• Release date: Feb 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9789745241664

Book preview

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1 - Book front cover: Buddhapāda from Myanmar (18th century CE)

Fig. 2 - Barhut - A sculpted pillar

Fig. 3 - Barhut - The Buddha’s descent from the heaven of the 33 gods

Fig. 3(2) - Barhut - From descent, detail of the lowest footprint

Fig. 4 - Sanchi - Great Stupa (no. 1)

Fig. 4(2) - Sanchi - Great Stupa (no. 1) - Northern door torana

Fig. 5 - Sanchi - Buddhapāda on north gate pillar

Fig. 6 - Sanchi - The great departure (eastern gate)

Fig. 7 - Amaravati - Enlightenment scenery

Fig. 8 - Amaravati - Enlightenment scenery, detail of Buddhapāda

Fig. 9 - Amaravati - High relief Buddhapāda

Fig. 10 - Amaravati - Worship of Buddha’s feet

Fig. 11 - Amaravati - The first sermon

Fig. 12 - Amaravati - Assault of Mara

Fig. 13 - Nagarjunakonda - Birth of Buddha

Fig. 14 - Nagarjunakonda - Birth of Buddha: detail of one mini-Buddhapāda

Fig. 15 - Nagarjunakonda - Buddhapāda large pair

Fig. 16 - Bodh Gaya - Imprint - Hindu Mahanta monastery

Fig. 17 - Bodh Gaya - Under the Bodhi tree

Fig. 18 - Bodh Gaya - Old Buddhapāda under the Bodhi tree

Fig. 19 - Bodh Gaya - Old Buddhapāda: printing on textile

Fig. 20 - Bodh Gaya - Buddhapāda with goddesses

Fig. 21 - Bodh Gaya - Buddhapāda with birds

Fig. 22 - Mathura - Detail of bottom of foot, stone sculpture of Buddha

Fig. 23 - Rajasthan - Vishnupāda painting (19th century CE)

Fig. 24 - Varanasi (ghats) - Pair of Vishnupāda with flower offering

Fig. 25 - Sri Lanka - Adam’s Peak (from Dalhousie)

Fig. 26 - Sri Lanka - Adam’s Peak Buddhapāda (summit)

Fig. 27 - Mihintale - Kantaka Dagoba

Fig. 28 - Mihintale - Kantaka Dagoba Buddhapāda

Fig. 29 - Anuradhapura - Isurumuniya Vihara – Small pair of footprints

Fig. 30 - Anuradhapura - Abhayagiri Dagoba pair of footprints

Fig. 31 - Aluvihara Buddhapāda

Fig. 32 - Vavunya Buddhapāda

Fig. 33 - Sri Lanka - Blank footprint with parasol

Fig. 34 - Colombo - Mini-pāda

Fig. 35 - Map of Gandhara in its modern environment

Fig. 36 - Gandhara - The Buddha’s descent from the Heaven of the 33 Gods

Fig. 37 - Gandhara - Isolated Buddhapāda

Fig. 38 - Gandhara - Buddhapāda-seal (drawing)

Fig. 39 - Gandhara - Circular Buddhapāda

Fig. 40 - Gandhara - Three wheels Buddhapāda

Fig. 41 - Gandhara - Polyform Buddhapāda

Fig. 42 - Gandhara - The vision of Buddha from Paradise

Fig. 43 - Xi’an - Da Ci’en Buddhapāda

Fig. 44 - Xi’an - Da Ci’en Buddhapāda red paper copy

Fig. 45 - Xi’an - Wolong Si - Stele

Fig. 46 - Xi’an - Da Xing Shan Si - Buddhapāda on the stele

Fig. 47 - Luoyang - Baimasi - New stupa (Indian style)

Fig. 48 - Luoyang - Baimasi - Buddhapāda on entrance pillar (new stupa)

Fig. 49 - Shaolinsi - Footprints on the middle of the stele

Fig. 50 - Wutai - Dabaita Pagoda stele

Fig. 51 - Wutai - Dabaita Pagoda Buddhapāda (on the stele)

Fig. 52 - Mount Wutai panorama (Lingjiu Peak)

Fig. 53 - Nara - Yakushi Ji - Oldest Japanese Bussokuseki

Fig. 54 - Nara - Yakushi-Ji - Bussokuseki schema

Fig. 55 - Kyoto - Honen In - Bussokuseki in the garden

Fig. 56 - Kyoto - Kiyomizudera - Giant Bussokuseki (outside schema)

Fig. 57 - Tokyo - Zozo Ji - Bussokuseki and Goddess Kannon

Fig. 58 - Tokyo - Dentsu In - Bussokuseki with his notice

Fig. 59 - Tokyo - Dentsu in - Footprints (detail of Fig. 58)

Fig. 60 - Nara - Kiko Ji - Bussokuseki general view

Fig. 61 - Japan - Different schemas of Bussokuseki along the ages.

Fig. 62 - Seoul - Wooden printing block of Buddhapāda and corresponding print

Fig. 63 - Shwe Zed Taw - Upper (hill) and lower (river) footprints

Fig. 64 - Old Thaton - Yah Han Na Buddhapāda

Fig. 65 - Bagan - Buddhapāda (UNESCO site 659)

Fig. 66 - Bagan - Buddhapāda north ceiling (UNESCO site 475)

Fig. 67 - Bagan - Ananda paya Buddhapāda on pedestal

Fig. 68 - Bagan - Ananda paya Buddhapāda

Fig. 69 - Bagan - Shwe Zigon Zedi - Circular grid Buddhapāda

Fig. 70 - Bagan - Shwe Aomin paya laquered Buddhapāda

Fig. 71 - Bagan - Tom Du paya - Buddhapāda with nagas

Fig. 72 - Bagan - Lo Ka Nan Da paya - Broken Buddhapāda

Fig. 73 - Amarapura - Paepamin Buddhapāda

Fig. 74 - Mingun - Settwya paya Buddhapāda

Fig. 75 - Momeik paya Buddhapāda

Fig. 76 - Momeik paya - detail of toes

Fig. 77 - Mandalay - Mahamuni paya - Buddhapāda Master’s lesson

Fig. 78 - Yangon Shwedagon paya - Two Buddhapāda general view

Fig. 79 - Yangon Shwedagon paya - Buddhapāda containing drinking water

Fig. 80 - Mrauk U - Buddhapāda in Shittaung paya

Fig. 81 - Monyva - Po win daung - Buddhapāda with pots

Fig. 82 - Wat Sra Morokot - Imprint

Fig. 83 - Wat Sra Morokot - Imprint schema

Fig. 84 - Chiang Mai - Wat Phra Puttabat Si Roy Buddhapāda

Fig. 85 - Chiang Mai - Wat Phra Puttabat Si Roy Buddhapāda (monastery schema)

Fig. 86 - Wat Khao Sa La - Site

Fig. 87 - Wat Khao Sa La - Buddhapāda

Fig. 88 - Sakon Nakhon - Wat Srisuwanwararam Buddhapāda

Fig. 89 - Udon Thani - Phra Phuttabat Buabok Buddhapāda

Fig. 90 - Chiang Rai - Wat Phra Singh Buddhapāda

Fig. 91 - Chiang Rai - Wat Doi Phra Bat Buddhapāda

Fig. 92 - Lan Na - Walking Buddhapāda in bronze

Fig. 93 - Lan Na - Walking Buddhapāda (detail of the four imprints)

Fig. 94 - Sukhotai - Wat Traphang Chang Pheua Buddhapāda

Fig. 95 - Bangkok - Wat Bovornivet Buddhapāda

Fig. 96 - Bangkok - Wat Bovornivet Buddhapāda - Disciples of Buddha (detail)

Fig. 97 - Saraburi - Wat Phra Phuttabat Buddhapāda

Fig. 98 - Chiang Mai - Wat Phra Sing Buddhapāda (laquered wood)

Fig. 99 - Phayao - Wat Sri Khom Kan Buddhapāda (left foot)

Fig. 100 - Ayutthaya - Wat Phra Ram broken Buddhapāda

Fig. 101 - Ayutthaya - Wat Putthaisavan - Buddhapāda carved on a wall

Fig. 102 - Ayutthaya - Wat Putthaisavan - Buddhapāda on a wall (detail)

Fig. 103 - Samut Sakhon - Wat Bang Kraprom Buddhapāda

Fig. 104 - Samut Sakhon - Wat Amphawan Chediyaram Buddhapāda

Fig. 105 - Rayong - Wat Rahan Yai Buddhapāda

Fig. 106 - Rayong - Wat Rahan Yai Buddhapāda (detail of sailing boat)

Fig. 107 - Wat Ban Pieng - Two sides of a wooden Buddhapāda

Fig. 108 - Bangkok - Royal Buddhapāda general view

Fig. 109 - Bangkok - Royal Buddhapāda in gold

Fig. 110 - Bangkok - Trace of Dharma- painting by Noppawong Baothong

Fig. 111 - Ko Si Chang - Indian Buddhapāda

Fig. 112 - Bangkok - Wat Pho giant Buddhapāda feet

Fig. 113-114 - Bangkok - Wat Pho Buddhapāda feet figurations

Fig. 115 - Angkor - Phnom Bakeng - Imprint general view

Fig. 116 - Angkor - Phnom Bakeng - Centre of the sole

Fig. 117 - Angkor Bayon - Footprint

Fig. 118 - Angkor Vat - (right) Footprint

Fig. 119 - Angkor Vat - (right) Footprint front-slab

Fig. 120 - Angkor Vat - (old photo) - (left) Footprint

Fig. 121 - Angkor Vat - Broken pieces of the (left) Footprint in 2012 CE

Fig. 122 - Battembang - Buddhapāda in copper

Fig. 123 - Royal Palace of Phnom Penh - Phnom Mondop Buddhapāda

Fig. 124 - Royal Palace of Phnom Penh - Koeng Preah Bat Buddhapāda

Fig. 125 - Kandal district - Wat Prea Veng Buddhapāda

Fig. 126 - Ovea district - Wat Prek Kon Reach Buddhapāda

Fig. 127 - Luang Prabang - Remains of Wat Phra Bat Thai Buddhapāda

Fig. 128 - Luang Prabang - Wat Sene Buddhapāda

Fig. 129 - Paksé - Wat Phra Bat (Bane Prabat) Buddhapāda

Fig. 130 - Cambodia - Phnom Santuk Buddhapāda

Fig. 131 - Laos - Wat Pha Baat Phonsan Buddhapāda

LIST OF MAPS

Map of Buddhapāda Locations in India

Map of Buddhapāda Locations in Sri Lanka

Map of Gandhara in its Modern Environment (Fig. 35)

Map of Buddhapāda Locations in China

Map of Buddhapāda Locations in Japan

Map of Buddhapāda Locations in Myanmar (Burma)

Map of Buddhapāda Locations in Thailand

Map of Buddhapāda Locations in Cambodia and Laos

Map of Routes of Migration of the Buddhist Faith

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Several pages would be needed just to mention all those who, by an exchange of information, a conversation over a cup of tea, or a long exploratory walk, so graciously welcomed me to their respective countries. To acknowledge them all, and the smiles to which this book is dedicated, I am listing some of them in the order of the country-specific chapters of my book:

Sabita Judge in India, Padmini Bandanaraike in Sri Lanka, Li Bo Cheng in China, Kasuko Kono in Japan and Ryu Kyunghee in South Korea, Khin May Phyo Win in Myanmar, Benchaphorn Khongchan in Thailand, and Thi-Hanh Khong for the rest of Indochina—each of these ladies having given so generously of their time and expertise, thereby facilitating my contacts at all levels.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the scholars, be they in their monasteries, their universities or their museums, who devoted many hours to reflection on my behalf, references to which appear frequently throughout my text, of whom foremost among them—Professor Claudio Cicuzza in Thailand and John Dawson, chief Curator at the National Museum in New Delhi.

Among others, special thanks to those members whom I encountered at the prestigious Ecole Française d’Extrême Orient (EFEO) and by whose kind empathy I was greatly touched, especially—in alphabetical order: Olivier de Bernon, now President of the Guimet Museum, and discoverer of a noted Buddhapāda site—François Bizot, pioneer of Buddhapāda in Cambodia, and one of the first to encourage me—Louis Gabaude, in Thailand, whose comments and documentation has been invaluable—Jacques Leider, who was stationed in Myanmar and agreed to critique the corresponding chapter—Michel Lorrillard who, in Laos and then in France, so kindly helped me from start to finish—Bertrand Porte in Phnom-Penh, who hopefully will restore many Buddhapāda—Dominique Soutif, based in Cambodia, who agreed to critique that chapter.

Finally, thanks are due to all those who so willingly endured the teething troubles in both languages, English and French, and photos—especially in alphabetical order: Françoise and Daniel Bucard, Marie-Madeleine and Jean-Louis Lafforgue, my daughter Laure de Guerny, Gilbert Palaoro, Malou and Jean-Jacques Paul, Véronique and Michel Zaregradsky, and last but not least, Ann Wadman who not only corrected my original English manuscript, but also gave me the opportunity for stimulating dialogue.

And not forgetting Orchid Press, its director, Christopher J. Frape, and his nice staff, of whom Sujitra Samakkarn played a crucial role.

PART 1

THE FOUNDATIONS

1.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Shortly after the death of the great Teacher, Gautama Buddha, over two and a half millennia ago, an old woman, or perhaps it was a child, saw—or imagined they saw—the imprint of a human foot in the clay at the edge of the road.

Word spread like wildfire that the Master, perhaps before or maybe after his departure from this world, had wanted to leave not just his mark but also something of his message.

In the year 2010 of our own era—that is, in the year 2553 BE (Buddhist Era, which commenced with the year of the Buddha’s death)—students in a rural class in Cambodia still chant, along with their monk instructor, the following prayer, in the form of a rhyme:

What joy to bow down

and pay homage to the holy feet of Buddha

sparkling like two precious stones

powerful and resplendent…

Buddhapāda, a word derived from ancient Sanskrit, refers to the foot or feet of the historical Buddha—or, strictly speaking, as employed in the following text, the imprint of his soles. These traces of the past, perhaps even invisible to the non-believer, may often be found as magnificent works of art, adorned with symbols both religious and cultural, perhaps resplendently engraved or inlaid with finely cut jewels, brilliantly painted or even gilded.

The purpose of Buddhapāda was not only to denote the Lord’s presence, or at least to provide a record of it, but also to act a means of tranmitting His message and His teachings. This was achieved through the employment of symbolic signs decorating the footprints, which themselves were sometimes massive in size—sufficient to impress the crowds with evidence of the Master’s greatness.

To follow these traces in time and space, we must go back to their origins, as told through legends and realities over the course of centuries and, at the same time, meet with those followers who, even in the third millennium of our own era (CE or the Common Era; equivalent in usage to the older AD), continue to offer burning incense and to throw flowers and even bank notes over the holy footprints.

The grand Emperor Ashoka (r. 272-237 BCE) (BCE or Before Common Era; equivalent in usage to the older BC) united nearly all of India and imposed Buddhism throughout his realm. Ashoka also contributed significantly to the faith’s success in Sri Lanka, transported there as it was by the monk Mahinda, who was reported to have been the Emperor’s own son.

The first Buddhapāda representations appear to have occurred in the north of India in a territory ranging roughly from the Ganges Valley, the original geographical center of Buddhism, to the border of the great Deccan plateau, and from Sanchi in the west to Amaravati in the east. In present times there is an almost uniform reverence of Buddhapāda, from Sri Lanka across to, and throughout, Southeast Asia. With few exceptions, the basic Buddhist doctrine in this wide region is known as Hinayana, or the ‘Smaller Vehicle,’ or by the name of its predominant school, Theravada.

At about the beginning of our own Common Era and for the first time, the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara—in the areas that are presently Pakistan and Afghanistan—dared to represent the Master in human form, successfully challenging previously established orthodoxy, wherein the Buddha was represented only in symbol. This new anthropomorphic representation is the reason for the more subtle northern journey of the Buddhapāda, which moved towards China, then on through to Korea and Japan. For the most part the basic Buddhist doctrine in these northeastern Asian countries is Mahayana, also known as the ‘Greater Vehicle’.

In India itself, after flourishing for a few centuries, Buddhism disappeared, and the ancient Hindu cults were officially restored. The Hindu priesthood, previously displaced, took its revenge on the Buddhist faith by including the Buddha in their own pantheon, as only the ninth incarnation of the God Siva. Further, they employed the symbolic footprint as representative of their own Vishnu or of other Hindu gods.

In the following pages and chapters, we will survey a period of more than two millennia, from the foundations of the Buddhapāda symbol, and its long migration along different routes, beginning with India and then following its northern as well as southern path. Our purpose—modest though it be, yet without known precedent—is to pay homage to one of the most moving symbols in the history of mankind. In no way intended to be a catalogue raisonné, for too many pieces exist, this book presents only a subjective selection of footprints, to demonstrate their beauty and to explain their main evolution up to the present, in terms as accurate and approachable as possible. The expressed opinions are only hypothesized, as insofar as ancient beliefs are concerned, none but the arrogant or sectarian would claim to truly know their origins or their successive meanings

In short, we simply want to tell the ‘Great Buddhapāda Odyssey’. But first, before we begin the journey, we will examine some background—the meaning, the how and why of the Buddhapāda image—in the following sections. If certain aspects of the background to the odyssey are desired, the reader may find further details in the Appendices.

A Brief Note on Language and Terms

During early Buddhist times, the languages that were widely spoken in South Asia were related to the still surviving Pali—a language which became, in Sri Lanka as well as elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the classical written language for the holy texts, emulating the role of Latin in the Christian world and of Arabic in Islam. Several words in Pali and Sanskrit—an ancient Indo-European language—are mentioned to facilitate understanding of the origins of some present terms, or simply to limit the risk of confusion among so many successive languages.

With the regard to the use of these foreign terms, transposed as they have been into the Western alphabet, there are a host of confusing options. For example, exactly how does one spell Buddhapāda, a Sanskrit term originally written in the archaic Devanagari and other scripts? Does one use one or two ‘d’s? One ‘h’ or none? An ‘s’ if plural? Even scholars of Asian linguistics and Asian language speakers themselves differ in the conventions they use.

Added to that are the problems of transliteration into our Western alphabets and the fact that the specialists—German, English, French… often make different choices even where ‘official’ standards sometimes exist.