Early Chinese Image Combinations of Indra and Brahma Flanking the Buddha as Attendants
Both Indra and Brahma were originally important deities in Indian Brahmanism,and were assimilated into Buddhism as protectors of the Buddhist dharma.Beginning from Buddhist art ofthe Kushan dynasty,Indra and Brahma often appeared as a pair.Following the eastern dissemination of Buddhism,images of both Indra and Brahma from as early as the 5 th century have been found in the Hexi region and the Central Plains.Indra is generally depicted wearing tight armor with buttons down the front,sometimes holding a vajra,while Brahma is always dressed as a bodhisattva with a whisk or bottle in one hand.This paper discusses the origins of the Chinese image combination of Indra and Brahma as attendants flanking the Buddha,and demonstrates that this type of image is a product of China's absorption of cultural elements from India and the Western Regions.
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