The Influence of the Jatakas on Art and Literature

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The Jataka, one of the books of Khuddaka Nikaya of the Pali Canon (Tripitaka), has in all 547 stories o the past lives of Gautama the Buddha. The Jataka stories, being full of wit and humour, worldly wisdom, moral lessons, and pious legends of semi-historical nature, were very helpful in popularizing the Dhamma amongst the masses. As such, they were not only handed down orally from generation to generation but were also carved or painted on the walls of the Buddhist monuments. As in India, so also in other Buddhist countries, the Jataka stories decorate the temples. This book presents for the first time a comprehensive survey of the influence of the Jatakas on art and literature in India, I South-East Asia, and in Europe. The study begins with the description of all the Jatakas found in sculpture or paintings in India. In the next chapter, Bhadant Anand Kausalyayan, who translated all the Jatakas from Pali to Hindi, shows how the Jataka stories are a literature for, and of the masses. The other aspects covered in this study are: Hymns in the Jatakas, Performing Arts, the Jataka Influence on the Literature of Indo-China, the Influence of the Jatakas on European Literature, and The Jatakas and the Modern Buddhist.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR D C Ahir

D.C. Ahir (born 1928, Punjab) is a reputed scholar of Buddhist studies, and has made notable contribution to the history of Buddhism during the last 42 years. He retired as Director to the Government of India in February 1986, and since then is fully engaged in enriching literature. He already has more than forty published works to his credit, besides numerous articles on Buddhism. In appreciation of his noble and notable contribution to the Buddhist Literature as a Distinguished Scholarand Author, the Maha Bodhi Society of India, Sarnath conferred on him on 30 November 2001 the Honorary Title of Buddha Sahitya Shiromani.