Religious Iconography in Buddhist Art (Iconography of Avaloktishvara)

Religious iconography is a branch of the sacred art and has a high instructional, propagandist, ritualistic and empirical value to religious traditions. This artistic tendency has a high place and impotence in Buddhism and has been manifested perfectly in Bodhisattvas’ miniatures. The present article, using the documentary method wants to show a short account of Holiness’ manifestation in Buddhist art. The results show that the traditional Buddhism, because the lack of mythological and metaphysical codification, was devoid of iconolatry, but later Buddhism, under effects of Greek art of Qandahara and Matura, Iranian religiosity, and inner theological developments, such as, the formulation of Tri-kaya doctrine and by the necessity of appeasing the thirst spirit of Buddhist disciples, approached to iconography. In the present essay, as an example, codification, symbolism and iconography of the Bodhisattva, called Avaloktishvara, has briefly been studied. its findings show that, apparently in Avaloktishvara’s iconography, beads, triple spear, sword, varada-mudra, monarchy diamond stick, and lotus have been prevalent and each of them shows a dimension of his responsibilities.