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33 - Theology and Religious Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
Matériaux pour une histoire de la légende et du culte de Mahākāśyapa: une relecture d’un fragment inscrit retrouvé à Silao (Bihār)
This contribution provides a new interpretation of a 9th century image from Bihār, whose pedestal bears an inscription consisting of a short versified biography of Mahākāśyapa, Śākyamuni’s disciple. The study draws upon a complex network of literary sources sharing motives with the inscription, in order to identify the logic at work in the selection of the narrative elements in the composition. The inscription testifies a central concern for the preservation of Kāśyapa’s body inside Mount Gurupāda until the future visit to this sepulchre by the Buddha Maitreya, which is a central belief of the cult connected with the mountain.
