The body is a ubiquitous feature of Indic Buddhist art. Through a set of chronologically presented examples (relief carvings, sculptures, monuments, and sites) from Buddhist visual and imaginative realms, we will critically examine various kinds of bodies in three modules: The Glorious Buddha, Sensuous Female and Powerful Nonhuman bodies, and Divine and Cosmic bodies. These iconographies enlivened Buddhist sacred spaces and speak to themes such as the non-figural and figural representation of the spiritual, miraculous, and divine, the ubiquity of the non-human, and monumental presence and authority, among others. Readings will allow students to enhance their cultural understanding of Buddhism and South Asia. Classroom discussions will be supplemented with local site visits. Students will be expected to engage critically and creatively with the subject matter, culminating in a final project that will be a virtual museum exhibition on the theme of the course, a challenge that will showcase their understanding and originality.
