Some Reconsiderations on Pendant-Legged Buddha Images in the Dvāravatī Artistic Tradition

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to reassess some common ideas about a particular type of buddha image frequently found in central Thailand in ca. 7th- 8th centuries, the buddhas seated in the so-called “European fashion” or pendant-legged, often labelled pralambapādāsana in Sanskrit. While briefly dealing with iconographic questions, including the origins and meanings of this particular posture, the paper will also discuss the matter of terminology in relation to the royal symbolism conveyed by this iconography.