Buddhist Iconography: World’s Earliest Visual Traditions

Fr. Rijo Geevarghese who does iconography in Orthodox churches, including in Mount Abu spoke to Lifestyle Today News on Mentza three years ago. Here’s what he said about the differences between Eastern and Western iconography, history of paintings in the Indian Orthodox Church and how India and Buddhism has contributed to the world of iconography. He is an Malankara Orthodox Priest, iconographer, and researcher in Religious Art and Theology.

Difference Between Eastern and Western Iconography

Iconography is not created out of an individual’s freedom, but according to the belief of the community. In the Eastern tradition, we draw what we believe; it is not the thinking of Rijo, but of the Church. That is why iconographers do not sign their works—because it is the Church that has created them. We do not claim individual ownership over the work.

St. Luke as the first iconographer

We regard St. Luke as the first iconographer. In a traditional prayer attributed to him, it says, “Guide this unworthy hand to draw this work.” This forms the foundation of Eastern iconography. However, Western painting has taken much more freedom, developing according to the personal vision of the artist. Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel according to his personal inspiration, not strictly according to the doctrinal belief of the Church. Personally, I feel this is a major difference between Eastern and Western iconography.

Sacred Heart in Iconography

Another difference is that in Eastern iconography, orthodox belief means holding on to the faith of the first century. Therefore, no new beliefs have been added to iconography to this day. In simple terms, we do not use images such as the Sacred Heart. In Western tradition, the Sacred Heart is commonly used, but you will not find it in Orthodox iconography.

Murals and Malankara Tradition

A mural is a painting done directly on a wall; any painting on a wall is called mural work. I refer to the paintings in Cheppad Church, Palyakara Church, and Kottayam Cheriyapally as Malankara Murals. These paintings are all paintings, created using the juice of leaves and other natural pigments.

Cheppad Church Murals

The murals in Cheppad Church are the oldest church murals in Kerala. Archaeologists who study them say they date back to the 13th century (800 years old). Through these paintings, we can see changes in Indian churches—the influences of the Portuguese, the East Syriac tradition, and the West Syriac tradition. The wall paintings represent a collection of beliefs from different periods.

If we closely observe the wall paintings of Malankara, we are essentially taking a historical journey. They were not created by a single person at one time, but are the collective work of different periods.

Mount Abu, Mandan and Warli tribal art

In Mount Abu, I used Rajasthani Mandan art and Maharashtra’s Warli tribal art. The main purpose of Warli art is to tell the story of the village. In earlier times, when people could not read or write, paintings on walls helped pass stories to the coming generations. Similarly, in the early days of the Church, before the Bible was widely available, people were taught the faith through wall paintings. That is how iconography originated in Christian churches.

Iconography in India

It is not completely true that iconography did not exist in India. Beyond religion, iconography was taught to the world by Bharatham (India). Buddhist iconography is among the earliest known forms of iconography, and it played a major role in shaping religious iconography across the world.

Halo and Mandalas

For example, in the West, a halo is shown behind images of Jesus and saints—a glowing light to indicate holiness. This concept comes from the mandalas behind Buddha images; when this idea reached the Western world, it evolved into the halo. Thus, India has a rich iconographic heritage.

A Russian teacher once asked me, “All over the world, India is known for its art and culture, but why couldn’t the Indian Church develop its own art and culture?” Such questions inspire me to bring Indian bhavana (expressions) into my iconographic work in churches. I strongly believe that by remaining rooted in our tradition, we will be able to achieve this fully.

To listen to the entire conversation in Malayalam Mentza click the link to listen on Spotify