Abstract:
Gender gap has been identified as a new crisis having adverse bearings on the economic
and cultural growth of human kind. It is generally defined as a disproportionate difference
between the sexes, specifically referring to the differences in the outcome of achievements
of man and woman. Gender gap may be a modern terminology but Buddhism seems to have
realized this in both Physical and Metaphysical sense and had attempted to bridge this gap in
its own unique way. It would be interesting to study this through the evolution of Buddhist
pantheon and its manifestation in art forms. This study focuses upon Ratnagiri, located in
Jajpur district of the state of Odisha in India. The sculptural wealth and art of Ratnagiri belongs
to 8th to 13c A.D. which has its beginnings in the Mahayan and saw its heydays in the
esoteric phase of Buddhism. The most striking feature of Ratnagiri art is that a large number
of female deities with due prominence and esteem are represented here. A comparative study
of male and female deities is made to gather information about the position of gender gap
and the process of bridging it. The variables adopted for analysis are symbolism, attributes
and potencies of the divinities. The gender based survey of the icons revealed that Ratnagiri
has not only produced probably the highest number of female deities as compared to the other
Buddhist sites of India and other countries but also the forms that are rarely found at other
sites. Till recently one hundred and fifty images of Avalokitesvara have been documented
from all over Odisha whereas Ratnagiri alone has yielded more than hundred Tara figures.
The incorporation of the female principle in Buddhist philosophy and its later anthropomorphisation
is simply understood as borrowed from Hindu tantrism. It is argued and discussed
that acknowledgement of female principle is an indigenous development in Buddhist philosophy
and it may have an earlier date of origin than Hindu tantra. It is concluded that in later
Buddhism as gleaned from the art of Ratnagiri, there are not just ideological propositions
of female gods, but they appear as fully empowered to independently perform miracles and
salvage their devotees. The frequency of occurrence of deities such as Tara, Marici, Hariti
etc. suggest that they rose to the level of cultic figures and were among the most popular
members of Buddhist pantheon.
