p.499 The Mahapadana and the Lakkhaha Suttantas of the Digha Nikaya (vols. II and III) refer to one of the 32 signs' of the Buddha's person as unhisasisa; in later Buddhist Sanskrit works such as the Lalitavistara, Makavyutpatti, it is referred to as usnisa-siraskata. The correct interpretation of this peculiarity of a Buddha, especially in connection with its representation in Buddhist iconoplastic art of different periods, has engaged the attention of many a scholar. Long ago, Burnouf, after a careful examination of this question, wrote, "I propose to translate the term standing for the first of the characteristic signs of a great man, as the Tibetans did and as the Buddha statues testify: 'his head is crowned by a cranial protuberance'."(2) Remusat, however, some time before Burnouf, interpreted this physical peculiarity, partly after the Tibetan manner, supplying in addition a detail relating to the arrangement of the hair: ''He has the hair gathered together in a knot upon a fleshy tubercle placed on the summit of his head".(3) The exact significance of this laksana has since then been discussed by various scholars such as Foucher,(4) Waddell,(5) ---------------------- 1 Senart pointed out long ago that the Indian conception about these Mahapurusa-laksanas 'went far beyond the confines of Buddhism having taken root in older Brahmanic myths'; Essai sur la legende du Buddha, Paris, 1882, pp. 28f. The bearer of these marks on his body was destined to be either a Cakravarti monarch or a Buddha. 2 Lotus de la Bonne Loi, p. 560. 3 Mel. Asiat., I, p. 168. 4 L'art Graeco-Bouddhique du Gandhara, II, p. 295. 5 Ost Asiatische Zeitschrift, 1914, 'Buddha's Diadem or Usnisa'. It is very difficult to accept Waddell's conclusions on account of the fact that the premises on which he bases them do not bear scrutiny. His identification of cakravaka, the Nagaraja at Bharhut as Varuna, the god of sky and ocean, is not established on solid data. Again, the six-headed figure of Mahasena (Skanda-karttikeya) in the Yuan Kwang grottos, who can be correctly described as such from the attributes which are in his hands, viz., a Sakti and a cock, and his peacock vehicle, has been wrongly designated by him as Varuna. p.500 and Coomaraswami(1) and different explanations have been given by them. For determining the real sense of this term, one will have to take into careful consideration the original meaning of the word Usnisa, the interpretation of this laksana by the celebrated commentator Buddhaghosa (C. 5th century A.D.), its presence or absence in the list of the Purusa-laksanas in Brahmanical literature, such as the Brhatsamhita of Varahamihira and last, but not the least, the important testimony of the Buddha images of different periods, especially the early Gandhara and Mathura ones. From its etymological sense, "a protection from the sun, sunshade'', the term Usnisa is interpreted as "a turban", usually "a royal turban", e.g. King Milinda names it among the royal insignia.(2) The head-dress of a Brahmacarin is also referred to as Usnisa.(3) But, this usual sense of a turban can hardly be accepted to explain this physical pecularity of a Buddha, for the Bodhisattvas, when they left the world to attain Buddhatva, discarded, according to tradition, their head dress and other ornaments, Buddhaghosa, in his Sumangalavilasini, explains the laksana Unhisasisa as referring to the well-developed forehead (paripunnanalata) and the well-developed head (Paripunnasisa) of the Mahapurusa. He develops the first part of his explanation, thus, Mahapurisassa hi dakkhina-kannaculikato patthaya mamsapatalam utthahitva sakalanalatam chadiyamanam purayamanam gantva Vamakanna-culikaya patitthitam ranno bandha unhisapatto viya virocati. So, according to him, this refers to the mass of flesh which rises from the root of the right ear, extends over and thus covers the whole of the forehead ----------------------- Moreover, there is no justification for assuming that the 7 hoods of the Adisesa on whose coils Narayana Visnu is depicted in a recumbent pose, is the usnisa of the same god. Other objections can be raised, which make it impossible for one to accept his solution of the usnisa problem. 1 J. R, A. S., 1928., Buddha's cuda, hair and usnisa, crown. 2 Milinda Panha, p. 330: pubbakanam Khattiyanam anubhutiani paribhogabhandani seyyath'idam: setacchattam unhisam paduka valavijani khaggaratanam maharahani ca sayanani. H
p.501
and ends near the root of the left ear ,
resembling the tied turban-folds of kings; i.e. this
fleshy growth is uniformly distributed over the whole
of the forehead and shines forth like the front plait
of the royal turban. He goes out of his way to remark
that kings modelled the folds of their turban
(Unhisapatta) on this characteristic of the great
men. As regards the second part, the learned
commentator refers to various kinds of undeveloped
heads resembling those of a monkey, in shape like a
fruit, and extremely bony or pitcher-like in
appearance, or of the rapidly sloping type; whereas
the great man's head is fully developed and rotund
everywhere (sabbattha parimandala) like a water
bubble (mahapurisassa pana araggena vattetva thapitam
viya suparipunnam udakabubbulasadisam sisam koti). Dr.
Rhys Davids remarks about the explanation of
Buddhaghosa, "in either case, the rounded highly
developed appearance is meant, giving to the
unadorned head the decorative dignified effect of a
crested turban and the smooth symmetry of a water
bubble",(1) We should point out here that both these
senses of the word were not Buddhaghosa's own
invention but were current in his time. But the most
important point here is that 'the bony protuberance
on the top of the Buddha's skull'--a sense which is
established beyond doubt in later tradition, both
literary and plastic, is not referred to here.
We may enquire now about the characteristic
feature of the heads of great men, as recorded in
Brahmanical literature. It must be observed here that
the word usnisasirsa does not occur in the
Brahmanical texts among the Mahapurusa-laksanas, so
far known to me. But the inherent sense of the word
might be referred to there in a different manner.
Thus, the great inhabitants of Svetadvipa, where
Narada went in quest of the Bhagavat, are said to
have heads like 'an umbrella,(2) (chatrakrtisirsa;
not chatrakoti, as Waddell and Coomaraswamy have put
it). The great gods Nara and Narayana, visited by
Narada in the Vadarikasrama are characterised with
heads like umbrellas, a feature described
------------------------
1 Rhys Davids, Dialogues of the Buddha, II, p. 16,
fn. 4. Dr. B. M. Barua, informs me that the force
of the word c'eva in the commentary should be
taken into account. Both the senses of
Paripunnanalatatan and Paripunnasiso are comprised
in the term unhisasiso.
2 Mahabharata xii, 334, II.
p.502
as a Mahapurusa-laksana.(1) Varahamihira describes
the heads of kings (cakravarttins) as resembling the
shape of an umbrella.(2) Utpala comments on this
passage that this umbrella-like shape refers to the
high broad expanse of the upper part of the head. The
Samudrikasastra tells us that he whose head resembles
an open umbrella or the breast of a young lady is
destined to be a sarvabhauma (cakravartti)
monarch.(3) Thus, the Brahmanical traditions about
the sirolaksana of gods, great men and kings are
unanimous in laying down that the outline of the head
would resemble that of an expanded umbrella;(4) i. e.
here also we find a reference to 'the rounded highly
developed appearance' of the head as is alluded to by
Buddhaghosa in the term 'udakabubbulasadisa'. As
regards the first part of Buddhaghosa's explanation
(viz. Paripunnanalatata), if we refer to the section
on the Sankhalalatalaksanas of human beings in the
Brhatsamhita(5) we can understand what our author
means here: thus, those
4 It may be objected that the umbrellas as
represented in early Indian art is flat in shape and
so do not show the gently rising carved outline which
is necessary for the confirmation of our hypothesis,
But it shbuld be remembered that all the umbrellas
are not of the flat type which is usually shown over
stupas and on Bodhi trees; partially dome-shaped
umbrellas are also known (cf. HIIA, pi. XIII. fig.
48--a Bharhut rail medallion) and these were usually
spread over honoured beings.
p.503
with high and broad sankhas (the bone on the
forehead) are (destined to be) rich (great) men; the
rich (great) are characterised by a forehead like a
hall-moon in appearance; men with broad suktis (front
portion of the skull) are instructors of persons. The
Samudrikasastra tells us also the same thing.(1)
Thus, it appears, from all this that the parallel
evidence of the early as well as the later
Brahmanical texts proves that the early Buddhist
writers did not mean by the term Unhisasisa 'the bony
protuberance of the head' and Buddhaghosa was quite
correct in giving us the full technical sense of the
term, current in his time. It is universally accepted
by scholars that the Buddhists adopted these signs of
the Mahapurusas from the Brahmills and applied them
to the person of the Buddha; so it will be natural
for us to seek for their proper significance among:
the Brahmanical literature. Thus we must: accept
Senart's statement that 'this particular laksana is
not in the list of the signs of a Great Man in
Brahmanical writings such as the 'Brhat Samhita''(2)
with some modification.
But then the question may arise when did this
term come to mean a 'bony protuberance?' That this
sense had already come into existence when Yuan
Chwang visited India in the 7th century A.D. is
proved by the fact that he went on pilgrimage to the
shrine of Buddha's Usnisa-bone in Hilo, near
Gandhara. Two centuries earlier, the same temple
enshrining the precious relic, viz., "Sakya Julai's
skull-top bone" was seen and described by Fa-hien. It
is true that this relic 'in shape like a wasp's nest
or the back of the arched hand, shown to believing
pilgrims in Hilo' was an imposture; but, it is
interesting to note that this peculiarity of Buddha's
head was understood in different manners by the two
famous Buddhists of the 5th century A.D., viz., the
Chinese traveller Fa-hien and the Indian commentator
Buddhaghosa. This can be explained, however, by
suggesting that Buddhaghosa who wrote his
commentaries in Ceylon has offered us the original
meaning of the term, which as has been shown by us,
is borne out by the evidence of the Brahmanical
texts, whereas, these Chinese pilgrims refer to the
----------------------
p.504
popular superstition about this supposed 'skull-top
bone relic' with which Buddhism was at first little
concerned. Watters remarks: "It is interesting to
observe that we do not find mention of any Buddhist
monks as being concerned in any way with this
precious relic."(1) Again, it seems that there was
some confusion in the minds of the Chinese regarding
the exact nature of the Usnisa. "Some, like Yuan
Chwang, regarded it as a separate formation on, but
not a part of, the top of the skull."(2) Yuan Chwang
and the other pilgrims use the Chinese word ting-ku
(bone of the top of the head) for Usnisa; several
other Chinese translations of it are ting-jou chi,
i.e., "the flesh top-knot on the top of the head" and
juchi-ku or "the bone of the flesh top-knot." Other
Chinese methods of describing this laksana are: "On
the top of the head the Usnisa like a deva sunshade
(a reference no doubt in a round about manner to the
Chatrakrtisirsa of the Brahmanical texts); or as
having ''on the top of his head the Usnisa golden
skull-top bone." Lastly, it is said that "on the top
of the Buddha's head is manifested the usnisa, i.e.,
manifested occasionally as a miraculous phenomenon;
and it is not visible to the eyes of ordinary
beings,"(3)
But whence came this adventitious sense of this
term Usnisa, in the Indian literature? Here,
fortunately, the Buddha figures belonging to
different ancient and medi‘val art-centres of India
will come to our aid, The Indian Buddha types of
Mathura belonging to the early Kusana period and the
early Hellenistic ones from Gandhara supply us with
much useful data regarding the solution of our
problem.
But, in order to utilise the evidence of the
early Kusana Buddha-heads of Mathura, we must first
answer the question whether these are actually
depicted bald except for the central snail-shell
(kapardda) coil of hair on the top; because the
hair-question is intimately connected with the Usnisa
one. The head, reproduced in pl. I, fig. I, shows a
smooth highly developed cranium which rises up from
the
----------------------
1 0n Yuan Chwang, vol, 1, p, 197,
2 Watters, Ibid., p. 196: 'this protuberance was
supposed to be a sort of abnormal development of
the upper surface of the skull into a small
truncated cone covered with flesh and skin and
hair' a very satisfactory description of the later
adventitious sense.
3 Watters, Ibid., p. 197.
p.505
hairline (kesarekha) with the central hair-coil
on the top.(1) The smoothness of the raised cranium
led scholars to think that the heads were shaven.
But, there is no question that there were doubts in
the minds of some of them with regard to this point.
Dr. Vogel, while discussing the iconography of the
sculptural specimens in the Mathura Museum, refers to
the Katra Bodhisattva-Buddha and another standing
Buddha (Nos. A1 & A4 in the Museum) and remarks,'that
these are indeed Buddha images of the Kusana period in
which the head is shaven.(2) But while describing the
images themselves, in the case of A1, he observes:
"the treatment of the hair deserves special notice.
It is not carved in curls, but it is only indicated
by a line over the forehead, so as to give the
impression that the head is shaven".(3) In the case
of no. A4, his remark is "the hair is treated so as
to simulate the shaven head of a monk".(4) But, in
his recent publication on Mathura sculptures, he is
definite: "La tete rase porte un usnisa en forme de
colimacon (kaparda)", i.e. the shaven head bears an
usnisa in the form of a snail-shell.(5) It was Mons.
Foucher, however, who first definitely pointed out
that the early Mathura heads were not shaved, in
these words "we want to point out this mode of
stopping rigorously on the forehead the line of the
hair of which the mass is indicated only by a
perfectly compact smooth modelling: so well that in
keeping altogether the silhouette characteristic of
the chignon, the head appears entirely shaven",(6)
Dr. Codrington refers to this feature in these words:
"the usnisa is represented as a coiled protuberance
something like a snail-shell, the head itself being
smooth, but with the line of the forehead clearly
marked,"(7) Later, his positive statement about the
usnisa as a protuberance and further remark that 'no
attempt is made to disguise it, as in Gandhara' are
not based on the correct interpretation
-------------------------
1 Mathura Museum Catalague, p. A27; Vogel: "Shaven
head" This may be regarded as a good
representative of the early Kusana Buddha heads of
Mathura; cf. the Katra Buddha: Coomaraswamy says
about this head type: "rarely seen after the 2nd
cent. A.D. and never after the fifth".
2 Mathura Museum Catalogue, p. 35.
3 Ibid., p. 47; italics are ours.
4 Ibid., p.49.
5 Ars Asiatica, vol. XV, p. 36.
6 Foucher, L'Art Graeco-Bouddhique, etc., p. 700.
7 Godrington, Ancient India, p.44.
p.506
of these features. A little later, in the same
publication, he definitely asserts that 'at least
in the early part of the Kushan century it is certain
the head was left bare,' Dr. Coomaraswamy, on the
other hand, was at first of opinion that the early
Kusana Buddha and Bodhisattva type of Mathura was
characterised by the shaven head'.(1) That he changed
his opinion some what later is proved by this
observation of his about the early Kusana type: 'the
head smooth, with a conical, spirally twisted projec-
tion on the crown of the head; let us not take it for
granted that the head is shaved, or that the
projection is an Usnisa'.(2) Ludwig Bachhofer,
however, in criticising Mons. Foucher's conclusion,
observes: "There is no valid reason why in one place
of the head, the hair should unmistakably be
represented as such, while close by it should only be
indicated by quite other means." (3) But Mons.
Foucher's conclusion can be justified on the
following grounds. If these heads were represented as
shaved at all, what could have been the explanation
of this distinct swell on the skull above the
hair-line? Shaven headed monks are depicted in Indian
plastic art; but these do not show this distinct
cranial division into two planes just near the
kesarekha. That the Mathura artists of this period
were in the habit of indicating the hair in this
manner can be proved, if we carefully
-------------------------
1 Hist. of Ind. & Indonesian Art, P. 56-7. In his
Origin of the Buddha Image (M. F. A. Bulletin,
vol. IX, no. 4, p. 23) however, he seems to have
already changed his opinion. Referring to the
great differences that are to be found in the
treatment of the hair on Buddha-heads, in
Gandhara and Mathura, he remarks: "in Mathura,
however, both Buddha and Jina images are
represented at first with a spiral protuberance
which is a lock of hair and not an usnisa; later
the whole head and hair are covered with small
short curls, and this type after the second
century becomes the almost universal rule, the
only example of the smooth head dating from the
Gupta period being the Mankuwar image, 448-9 A.D."
2 J.R.A.S., 1928, P. 817. He further adds in Ibid.,
p. 827, "that the remainder of the head is smooth
does not mean that it is shaved but simply that
all the long hair was drawn up close and tight
over the scalp into the single stress. The
thickness of this smooth hair is always clearly
indicated in the sculptures."
3 Early Indian Sculpture, p. 95.
p.507
observe the treatment of the same in some Yaksini
heads (cf. pl. I, fig. 2: the hair is treated here in
a smooth compact mass shown tightly drawn upwards,
without the least striation on the surface which
would indicate that the raised surface consists of
hair; but the raised hair-line is divided here into
several sections in order to give a beautifying
effect to the heads of these females). P1. II shows
that, in very rare instances, the hair on the cranium
is treated in a slightly different manner showing six
distinct layers, beginning from the root of the ear
and ending below the Kapardda hair-coil; that these
are nothing but stratified arrangement of the hair(1)
is proved by the distinct striation of these layers.
Bachhofer's objection can be further answered by
suggesting that 'the unmistakable representation of
the hair as such' on the topmost coil only, in the
majority of the Buddha heads of this type, probably
shows an ingenious attempt on the part of the artist
just to suggest that the raised mass above the
forehead also was hair; had there been no striation
on the former, then there might have been a greater
chance for misinterpreting the whole thing (as it is,
the peculiar plastic form of ahead with compact
smooth hair has been misread; the beautiful Yaksinis
cited above were not certainly depicted with shaven
heads!). In any case, Bachhofer himself has not given
us any reasonable explanation of this 'rising' near
the hair-line.(2) To the artists of Mathura as in
the case of those of other localities, the Buddha was
not shaven headed like his monks.(3)
-----------------------
1 Did the artist intend to show here in a
conventional manner the downward continuation
of the matted spiral coil on the top?
2 It cannot be suggested that this was perhaps the
mamsapatala of Buddhaghosa, for he describes the
latter as covevring the whole of the forehead and
we have already tried to explain the term with the
evidence of the Brahmanical texts; by the way, the
'open umbrella' like outline of these heads should
be noted. The treatment of the hair of the Patna
Yaksa (P. 2, in the Indian Museum, Calcutta)
should be observed. All the hair is gathered en
masse upwards--the hair-ends abruptly ending near
the nape. The distinct swell above the hair-line
and striation (clear in the relief) preserved near
the hair-ends, should be especially marked in
this connection.
3 The head of the Buddha image of Mankuwar (5th
century A.D.) is sui generis; it is an exception
to the general rule adopted in the case of both
early Kusana on the one hand and the late Kusana
and the Gupta Buddha head, on the other,the hair is
treated here in an all
p.508
Once we accept this solution of the hair-problem
of the early Kusana Buddha type of Mathura, the
determination of the question whether the kapardda
coil is to be regarded as the Usnisa of these Buddhas
is easy.(l) There is no contemporary authority which
justifies us in describing this as Usnisa; so we
should be careful in using such expression as 'Spiral
Usnisa'(2) or Usnisa in the form of a Kapardda.(3) If
there were any plastic representation of the laksana,
Usnisasiraskata here, and we think it was there, we
ought to find it in the well rounded
(sabbathaparimandala) umbrella-like (chatrakrti)
outline of the cranium and the high broad
(suktivisala) shape of the forehead. Dr.
Coomaraswamy, however, after a minute study of the
earliest Indian images of Buddha entertains no
doubt about the fact that 'they do not attempt to
represent the Usnisa, either as a turban, or until
later, as a bony protuberance, (4)
Nor does the evidence of the earliest of the
Gandhara Buddhas prove that these bear the abnormal
cranial protuberance. There exists, still, a great
deal of difference of opinion among scholars
regarding the dating of the Gandhara sculptures.(5)
But there is some sort of unanimity among them about
the relievo-representation of Buddha
-----------------------
compact smooth mass with neither a single coil
in the centre, nor short curls all over the head,
but with a slight swell on the centre of the head.
1 We can refer here to the interesting manner in
which this spiral hair-coil is shown along with
the folds of a turban on the head of a standing
Bodhisattva (Codrington, Ancient India, pl. 22c.).
It seems that the artist means to show that the
hair is drawn up together in a mass and turned
round in a single coil on the top and wound up
with the folds of the turban. Rudra (Siva) is
described as Kaparddi in Vedic texts on account of
his identification with Agni whose flames waving
upward are likened to the snail-shell-like coils
gathered upward on an ascetic's head and 'the hair
of the true Kapardin is long'; the attribute
Usnisin was also applied to him in early and late
texts: Vaj. S., XVI, 22; Mahabharata, 13, 17, 44;
Kadambari, 220. Usnisin both in the Vajasaneyi
Samhita and the Mbh. passages is explained by the
commentators as sirovestanavan.
2 Coomaraswamy, HIIA, p. 57; but he does not describe
now this Kapardda as Usnisa; cf JRAS., 1928, p.
817; M.F.A. Bulletin, vol. IX, no. 4, p. 23.
3 Ars Asiatica, vol. XV, p. 36.
4 JRAS., 1928, p. 832.
5 See Sir John Marshall, A Guide to Taxila, p. 31.
p.509
on the Bimaran reliquary, --this being one of the
earliest figures of the Master so far known, if not
the earliest one. Bachhofer thus describes the hair
on its head: "There are no spiral locks. The thick
hair covering the head is twisted on the crown of the
head into a large knot, which produces the effect of
a loose structure (italics are ours).(1) The coiffure
of the figure of the flask-carrying Maitreya on the
socle of the Buddha statue from Charsada(2) should be
studied in this connection; the hair is gathered up
and tied round by a string (of hair?) at the bottom
of the so-called Usnisa bump. As a matter of fact, a
very close observation of the early Hellenistic
Gandhara Buddhas in the Peshawar and Lahore Museums
convinces one that the luxuriant hair of the Master
is really tied up, upon the crown of the head. Mr.
Hargreaves referring to the exhibit No. 1921 in the
Peshawar Museum, remarks that 'the artist
untrammelled by tradition, has ventured to bind the
base of the Usnisa by a jewelled band'.(3) But what
he fails to observe is that this pearl or usually the
string band is present at the base of the so-called
Usnisa bump in a large majority of the early Buddha
heads of this art centre.(4) Nor is this feature of
the top-knots of hair confined to the heads of
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas alone; Mons. Foucher pointed
out long ago that a number of reliefs show that even
ordinary mortals have such a hair-dress beneath their
turbans.(5) Semi-divine Yaksas are also depicted with
this peculiar arrangement of the hair; thus most of
the children of Hariti and Pancika in a Gandhara
relief are shown with these top-knots.(6) It is no
use multiplying cases; a close
-----------------------
1 Early Indian Sculpture, vol, I, p. 94.
2 "Hastnagar Socle" dated in the year 384, Sel. E.
or A.D. 72; cf,, Ludwig Bachhofer, ibid., vol. II,
fig, 143. But the dating is open to doubt; Konow
dates it in 300 A.D.
3 Handbook to the Sculptures in the Peshawar Museum,
p. 52.
4 Exhibit no. 227 in the Peshawar Museum shows the
topmost hair-knot tied together by a string of
pearls; similar is the case with fragmentary heads
Nos, 232 and 293. In Nos. 223, 231 and 233 (all
the last 5 are moustached heads) the upper knob
consists of wavy curls strung together in their
middle by a stringlike thin woven hair. In No,
231, this hair knob is elongated in shape.
5 Foucher, Art Graeco-Bouddhique du Gandhara, tome
I, fig. 234.
6 Exhibit no. 241, Peshawar Museum; Hargreaves,
Handbook etc., plate 7.
p.510
Study of the reliefs alone will convince us of
the truth of this statement. Now, this top-knot does
not really cover any abnormal swelling of the central
cranium; in its plastic form, it could not but appear
as something solid with waving locks upon it. The
misunderstanding of this feature was certainly the
root-cause in the change of the meaning of the term
Usnisa, and once this wrong interpretation came
into existence, the artists of Gandhara began to make
Buddha-heads with this top-knot having the appearance
of the Central bump. But even then, the procedure was
certainly not uniform. With the introduction of the
short-curls, turned towards the right covering the
head and the bump on it, a conventional stereotyping
is no doubt apparent; but cases are not wanting where
the old formula was resorted to. Hargreaves remarks,
"a less naturalistic but still pleasing treatment of
the hair is seen in Nos. 1430 (pl. 9a, pl. III, fig,
1), 1424, 1425 where the Usnisa is treated schemati-
cally in little loose curls".(1) The evidence of the
beautiful stucco heads of late Gandhara period (c.
5th century A.D.) is specially interesting in this
connection; in many of these, the so-called Usnisa is
disproportionately small and is shown sometimes in
front and at other times in the centre of the
cranium. One of these, 'of the conventionalised'
type(2) leaves no doubt in our mind about the
artist's intention (pl. III, fig.2).
Our acceptance of this solution of the origin of
the so-called Usnisa on later Buddha heads will be
facilitated further, if we bear in mind that the
wearing of long hair in different modes was a common
custom among the males of the various social orders
of the Indo-Aryans, especially of the higher ones,
They not only carried these luxurious locks on their
own heads in different shapes, but endowed their gods
with this same characteristic. Thus, the various
gods depicted in the early Indian monuments of the
pre-Christian period--very few of which can however
be regarded as distinct iconographic types--are
shown with luxuriant hair dressed in various ways and
the usnisa i.e., the turban is one of their most
prominent
-----------------------
1 Handbook etc., p. 51; but where is the authority
for using the word Usnisa here? It is simply an
arrangement of the locks in several tiers
narrowing upwards.
2 Marshall, Guide to Taxila, p. 48, pl, VI; here the
top-knot is not disproportionate.
p.511
adornment which also is worn in different manners.
But, if we refer to the plastic representation of
some we cannot but be struck with the idea that there
could have been always the chance of misinter-
preting the big knot of hair which was shown like a
rounded object on the centre of the top of the
cranium. A reference may be made here to the bottom
row of the divine figures (whose back-view is only
shown) worshipping the Master in the Trayastrimsa
heaven in the scene of the Master's descent at
Sankisa, at Barhut.(1) The big top-knots of these
gods could very justifiably have been interpreted
as the so-called Usnisa bump, if we were not sure
that this sense of the term was unknown in early
literature. Very few reliefs of Brahmanical deities
like Siva, Visnu and others are known, which can be
definitely dated back to the pre-Christian era. But,
even in the few early specimens, various elaborate
modes of dressing the hair are shown; thus Siva on
the Gudimallam Lingam (2) has a thick be-jewelled
plait, half-moon-like in shape sheltering as it were
the whole head of the god; the same god (here
four-handed) on the Mathura Lingam(3) shows all the
hair tightly drawn up on the cranium as in the early
Kusana Buddha-heads of Mathura, but unlike the latter
the single Jata ends in two sections, one resting
upon the other, the lowermost of which smaller and
thinner in shape is immediately on the top of the
central part of the cranium, while the uppermost one
bigger and thicker in size is depicted like a cup
which is caught hold of by the two back hands of the
divinity. Some interesting information is also
furnished in this connection by some Ujjain,
Audumbara and Kusana coins where the god Siva is
figured, either as an obverse or a reverse type. A
careful study of fig. 2, plate X, (Ujjain), fig. I,
plate IV, (Audumbara) in Cunningham's Coins of
Ancient India and figs, 33, 36, 65, pl. XVII, (Vima
Kadphises and Kaniska), figs. 209 and 211 (Vasudeva)
in White-head's Punjab Museum Catalogue, vol. I,
will show how the luxuriant hair was worn by the
divinity.(4) We all know that long before the first
appearance of the Buddha figure in art, he was being
worshipped
-------------------
1 Cunningham, Stupa of Bharhut, pl, XVI, Ajatasatru
pillar.
2 T, A. G.Rao, Elements of Hindu Iconography vol.II,
part I, p, 66, pl. III, fig.9.
3 Coomaraswamy, HIIA, , pi, XVIII, 68; date 2nd
century A.D.
4 Note the little hair-knots on the centre of the
cranium which can easily be interpreted as the
so-called Usnisa bump.
p.512
as the highest god by his pious devotees. And in
the anthropomorphic representation of the Bhagavat,
the depiction of the flowing tresses was quite
natural. So, there cannot arise here the question of
utilising this hair-motif for the purpose of
concealing 'the disfigurement of the bump of
intelligence.' There was also the authority of the
texts that Buddha was to have his hair of a certain
uniform length on his head throughout his life (cf.
the Nidanakatha, etc.). The early indigenous
artists also endowed Buddha with long: locks in their
own way. The Gandhara artists did not introduce any
new iconographic motif in this case; what difference
there was at first, was the difference in technique
alone. Here with the Gandhara as well as the Mathura
artists, the all important question was whether the
Buddha-head was to be shown with hair or not. When
they found that the tradition explicitly laid down
that Buddha carried locks of hair of uniform length
on his head, all throughout his life, it was
immaterial to them whether the hair was to be shown 2
or 10 angulas in length. Again, they were not
representing Sakya Simha, the man but the divine
Tathagata Sammasambuddha the object of their piety
and devotion. Lastly, the evidence of a few of the
lesser signs referring to Buddha's hair, such as
citakesa (hair piled up), asamlulitakesa (hair not
dishevelled) aparusakesa (smooth hair) etc. should
be taken into account in this connection. The
Mahapadana and Lakkhana suttantas do not give us
detailed list of these lesser signs; but they are
found in the early works like the Lalitavistara and
the Mahavastu hence it is quite reasonable to assume
that the tradition about the hair was a fairly
authoritative one.
That the plastic form of this top-knot of hair
could be easily misconstrued as covering something
abnormal on the top of Buddha's skull and that in
this misconstruction lay the origin of the Usnisa
bump of later age was long ago conjectured by Mons.
Foucher. My close observation of the early Buddha
figures in the Peshawar, Lahore and Mathura Museums
confirms my idea about the origin of this important
iconographic peculiarity. Dr. Coomaraswamy also
supports the main part of this conclusion in his
article on 'Buddha's Cuda, hair, Usnisa, crown.'(1) I
differ from Foucher when he says that the early
--------------------------
1 JRAX., 1928, p.833. He incidentally remarks while
noticing my article on 'the Webbed fingers of
Buddha' (I,H.Q., December, 1930), that unhisasisa
which originally meant "destined to wear a royal
turban'', and later came to be regarded (through
misinterpretation
p.513
Gandhara artists avoided the representation of a
protuberance for aesthetic reasons. Again, the blame
for misinterpreting the Gandhara chignon as covering
a cranial bump should not be ]aid at the door of the
'Indian imitators'; for, as we have seen some (not
all, compare the evidence of some stucco heads) of
the Gandhara artists, themselves misinterpreted the
whole thing. When, however, the convention of the
short spiral curls, turning from left to right was
introduced, the raised centre of the cranium was
nothing but the protuberance covered with these;
but even then, an unconscious reference to the
original character of this abnormality is to be seen
in those cases where this bump with these small
spiral curls is encircled at its base by a string.(1)
Now, to raise the question of interpretation
again. What was the old meaning of the term
Unhisa-sisa? Dr. Coomaraswamy suggests that it
originally meant "destined to wear a royal turban" as
catvarimsatdanta'' would mean ''destined to have 40
teeth." But where is the necessity of our having to
suggest this explanation, when its original sense has
been so explicitly put forward by Buddhaghosa? It is
true that he 'writes long after the practical
problem of iconographic representation had been
settled and had the Buddha figures with a protuberant
Usnisa no less than the old texts before him," But,
as we have shown before that he was relying mainly on
the old orthodox and technical sense of the term
unhisa-sisa--it should be noted that the word is
taken as a whole here--and his authority was certainly
the older Brahmnical texts (unhisa-sisa=chatrakrtisirsa
+suktivisalabhala) . In commenting fully on this word,
he does not find himself in difficulties and I differ
from Drs. Rhys Davids and Coomaraswamy, when they
say that 'Buddhaghosa's interpretation is not at all
satisfactory.'
A brief reference ought to be made to 'the figure
of Indra in the form of the Brahman Santi' carved
in high relief on a railing pillar at Bodh Gaya (c.
100 B.C.). Many scholars hold that there is a
distinct protuberance on its head which is covered
with short curls and they
----------------------
originating in the sculptor's device and perhaps
also due to misinterpretation of images) as "having
a cranial protuberance'' (I.H.Q, June, 1931).
1 Cf.the seated Buddha,Indian Museum, Gandhara room,
NO.3936.
p.514
are of opinion that it served as the prototype of
the later usnisa.(1) Dr. Coomaraswamy once observed
about it, "the figure of Santi affords the earliest
known example of the Usnisa in sculpture."(2) But,
there is no justification for describing this cranial
feature of the Bodh Gaya relief in this manner and he
is now of opinion that it is not an usnisa. Bachhofer
himself tells us that Indra is not here represented
as a cakravarttin and so the question of the
representation of the laksanas does not arise in this
connection.(3)
In fine, it would be interesting to refer to the
technical sense in which the term Usnisa was used in
Brahmanical iconometric texts of a comparatively late
period. The centext, in which this term is used
there, justifies us in understanding it as signifying
the central part of the cranium. Referring to the
measurement of the Usnisa, the Vakhanasagama says
that it should be 1 an. and 3 yavas.(4) The text is a
Pancaratra one and mentions this fact while
describing the Uttamadasatala measure of the image of
Devesa (evidently Visnu).(5) Similar other passages
in the above text lead us also to the Same
conclusion.(6)
-----------------------
I Bavchofer, Ein Pfeilerfigur aus Bodh-Gaya, Jahrbuch
as. Kunst, II, I925; K(ramrisch, Grundzuge der
indischen Kunst, p. 83. Reference to this figure was
first made by Sir John Marshall in JRAS., 1908,p.1065,
where he described it as an undoubted usnisa.
2 HIIA., p.32, fn.9.
3 But, is it really a protuberarice The swell, it
should be observed is not exactly on the centre
of the cranium and it has got a distinct tilt
backwards, which might or might not have been due
to the position of the head. Compare the head of
Vessantara in a fragmentary Gandhara relief (HIIA,
pl.XXVI, fig. 93) with it. Dr. Coomaraswamy describes
the former as 'the Bodhisattva nimbate with ttlick
curly hair etc.', but does not use the word
protuberance. Both these heads, however, give me
the impression that they bear on them the wig-like
massed arrangement of hair in two sections, the
hair ending in curls.
