A figure showing a fleur de lis design on the top of the head is associated with Indra on two interesting reliefs from Nāgārjunakoṇḍa. The flower motif on the head is very similar to the half part of the vajra as it is depicted on some... more
A figure showing a fleur de lis design on the top of the head is associated with Indra on two interesting reliefs from Nāgārjunakoṇḍa. The flower motif on the head is very similar to the half part of the vajra as it is depicted on some panels from the Buddhist Andhra sites. There are many clear analogies between this image and the iconography of the āyudhapuruṣa, the personification of divine weapons, and the author suggests identifying this figure with an unusual example of vajrapuruṣa, the anthropomorphic vajra. Generally, the earliest images of the āyudhapuruṣas are believed to be those found in Udayagiri, cave 6, dating back to the early Gupta period. Nevertheless, if the interpretation of these specimens from Nāgārjunakoṇḍa as vajrapuruṣa is correct, it shows that the personification of the divine attributes was already known at least one century before. The author traces the textual references to vajrapuruṣa and describes the few examples of this subject found in Indian and Nepalese art, pointing out that this particular iconography, unlike other āyudhapuruṣas, is represented in Buddhist art.
