Himalayan Art Resources

Subject: Indian Scholar (Buddhist)

Eleven Figurative Forms

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Six Ornaments & Two Excellent Ones
- Seventeen Scholars of Nalanda
- Monastic Appearance
- Pandita
- Pandita Hat
- Tibetan Pandita
- Masterworks
- Confusions
- Others...

Videos:
- Six Ornaments and Two Excellent Ones
- Monastics: Three Visual Types
- Patchwork Robes: Part 1
- Patchwork Robes: Part 2
- Travel Bag in Art

Indian Scholar is a descriptive term referring to Indian Buddhist teachers generally belonging to the Mahayana Tradition of Buddhism. The scholars that commonly appear in art can be lay or monastic in appearance although generally monastic. Chandragomin is the most famous of the lay scholars. Indian scholars are related to the 'pandit' or in Tibetan 'pandita.' A Buddhist pandit is someone who is versed in the 'five sciences' or 'five fields of study.'

The Five Sciences (Panchavidya):
- Language (Shabda)
- Craftsmanship (Shilpakarmasthana)
- Medicine (Chikitsa)
- Logic (Hetu)
- Philosophy (Adhyatma)

Jeff Watt [updated 1-2019]

(The images below are only a selection of examples).