Buddhist Artifacts in Tattapani, Paddar Valley: Evidence of Vajrayāna Influence
Abstract
The Himalayan regions of Jammu and Kashmir-UT have historically been a crossroads of cultural, religious, and artistic interactions between India, Tibet, and Central Asia. The discovery of Buddhist artifacts’ within Hindu temple contexts in such regions is significant, as it reveals both the continuity of Buddhist traditions and their integration with local religious practices. In Tattapani village of Paddar valley, Kishtwar district, the breakthrough of a bronze Buddha in bhūmisparśa mudrā, a small copper statue of Amitābha (Medicine Buddha) holding a bowl, alongside ritual objects like a vajra-bell and seven conch shells, presents an important case for examining the historical spread of Tibetan Buddhism and its interaction with Hinduism in this part of the western Himalayas. The presence of such objects indicates the influence of Tibetan Buddhism, a major branch of Vajrayāna Buddhism, in the area.
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