In the Footsteps of the Masters

•  Thursday, 19th April 2018

From 16:00: tea
 
 17:00-18:30: keynote address
Prof. Dr. Susan L. Huntington, Columbus:
Footprints in the Early Buddhist Art of India: An Examination of Art Historical Methodology 

• Friday, 20th April 2018

 
 10:00-11:00

Buddhist footprints from Nepal and Tibet: Prof. Dr. Gudrun Bühnemann, Wisconsin-Madison: 
The Feet of Mañjuśrī                         

Dr. Elisabeth Haderer, Hamburg and Bonn:
Enlightened Presence—On the Representation of Footprints in Tibetan Buddhist Painted Scrolls 

  
11:00-11:30 Coffee break      
 
 11:30-12:30    
Jaina foot imprints in India: 

Prof. Dr. Nalini Balbir, Paris: 
Religious Issues Regarding the Pādukās of Jain Teachers

Prof. Dr. Julia A. B. Hegewald, Bonn:
Foot Images (Pādukās) as Multivariate Symbols in Jaina Religious Practices in India

12:30-14:30 Lunch break
 
 14:30-16:00    
Hindu footprints and Lingayat sandals from India:

Dr. Jutta Jain-Neubauer, New Delhi and Berlin:
Feet and Footmarks in Indian Culture and their Visual Representation

Nick Barnard, London:
Footprints of Hindu Deities in Indian Jewellery

Prof. Dr. Tiziana Lorenzetti, Rome:
The Cult of Footwear in the Liṅgāyat Tradition:Peculiarities and Symbologies

16:00-16:30 Tea break
 
 16:30-17:30
Buddhist foot imprints in Southeast and East Asia:

Dr. Sarah Shaw, Oxford:
The Buddha’s Footprint and the Southeast Asian Imaginaire

Dr. Claudia Wenzel, Heidelberg:
The Buddha’s Footprints in China
  

Saturday, 21st April 2018
 
 10:00-11:00
Feet and sandals in the Islamic world (5 papers): 
Prof. Dr. Lorenz Korn, Bamberg: 
Footprints as Relics and as Symbols of Veneration in Islamic Art

Dr. des. Deniz Erduman-Calis, Munich and Berlin:
Kadem-i Saadet—Foot Imprints of the Prophet Muhammad in the Collection of the Topkapi Palace 
11:00-11:30 Coffee break      
 
 11:30-13:00 
Iman R. Abdulfattah, New York and Bonn:
Footprints of the Prophet as Modes of Dissemination and Modes of Control

Waheeda Bano Baloch, Jamshoro and Bonn:
The Holy Footprints Across Sindh (Pakistan)

Karin Adrian von Roques, Bonn: 
Footprints in the Art of Contemporary Muslim Artists

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• Abdulfattah, Iman R., PhD Candidate the University of Bonn and New York 
• Adrian von Roques, Karin, Independent Researcher and Curator, Bonn 
• Prof. Dr. Balbir, Nalini, University of Paris-3 Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 
• Baloch, Waheeda Bano, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan and University of Bonn 
• Barnard, Nick, Curator, South and South-East Asia, Asian Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 
• Prof. Dr. Bühnemann, Gudrun, Asian Languages and Cultures, The University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Dr. des. Erduman-Calis, Deniz, Curator, Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin 
• Dr. Haderer, Elisabeth, Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, The University of Hamburg and Research Associate, The University of Bonn
• Prof. Dr. Hegewald, Julia A. B., Professor and Head of Department of Asian and Islamic Art History, The University of Bonn
• Prof. Dr. Huntington, Susan L., Emeritus Professor, Ohio State University, Columbus
• Dr. Jain-Neubauer, Jutta, Independent Researcher, New Delhi and Berlin
• Prof. Dr. Korn, Lorenz, Professor of Islamic Art and Archaeology, University of Bamberg
• Prof. Dr. Lorenzetti, Tiziana, President International Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), Rome
• Dr. Shaw, Sarah, Faculty of Oriental Studies and Wolfson College, University of Oxford
• Dr. Wenzel, Claudia, Heidelberger Academy of Sciences and Humanities, research project Buddhist Stone Sutras in China

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Abdulfattah, Iman R., PhD Candidate the University of Bonn and New York

Footprints of the Prophet as Modes of Dissemination and Modes of Control
 
Produced within specific contexts—geographical, cultural, and temporal—stone footprints attributed to the Prophet Muhammad began to surface in Egypt during the Mamluk period, in settings where they were not present before and with the foundations that housed them turning into sacred spaces. As a result, this genre of material artefacts has often been discussed in relation to traditions associated with his veneration. Yet, while the Prophet never travelled to Egypt, the presence of these relics raises questions of intent. For instance, what motivated some Mamluk elite to acquire footprints was the desire to project legitimacy, practices that continued under their Ottoman successors. The acquisition of footprints under both sultanates coincided with periods of political instability, with the transition from Mamluk to Ottoman rule being one of significant change: Egypt became an important entrepôt on the periphery of a new empire; there was a shift in the juridicial system from the Shāfiʿī to Hanafī school of Islamic law; and the aesthetics and architectural norms markedly changed. This paper will re-examine the mechanism and conditions responsible for the popularity of these relics, as well as explore their public characteristics in relation to a changing political climate.

Adrian von Roques, Karin, Independent Researcher and Curator, Bonn
Footprints in the Art of Contemporary Muslim Artists
 
The Prophet’s night journey (Al Israa) from the Kaaba in Mecca to Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem (Koran, Surah 17:1) was a central mystical experience in which Mohammed, mounted on the mythical winged Buraq.
According to the legend the Prophet mounted Buraq from a rock in the centre of the Dome oft he Rock and left his footprints. Other sources speak about other imprints of Mohammed’s bare feet left on a number of stones. Footprints also play a role in conjunction with Abraham (Ibrahim).
Mohammed’s night journey was a popular theme in Islamic miniature painting, in which the Prophet’s mystical experience was depicted in ever more detailed and fantasized embellishments. Apparently the footprints were more important as relics.
Despite the importance of the Prophet’s footprints in a religious context and as relics footprints seem not to be used so often as a subject in contemporary art from the Middle East and North Africa. While there are more works with reference to the hand of Fatima. Feet play a role in an installation of an Usbekian artist or in the works of Shumon Ahmed from Bangladesh and of Miraj Nameh, a Turkish artist.
On prayer rugs or prayer kelims, however, there are occasionally examples with footprints and sometimes even with footprints and hand prints.

Prof. Dr. Balbir, Nalini, University of Paris-3 Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris
Religious Issues Regarding the Pādukās of Jain Teachers
 

Pādukās are a fairly well represented form of piety and worship in the Jain tradition, whether on the Śvetāmbara or on the Digambara side. They can symbolise the presence of Jinas but also of religious masters. In the course of time, the functions and roles of these pādukās may have undergone changes or emphasis. The present paper will address historical usages or controversies regarding the pādukās as a legitimate or full-fledged form of representation and worship in comparison or supplementation with traditional images (mūrtis) especially in medieval and modern times.

Baloch, Waheeda Bano, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan and University of Bonn
The Holy Footprints Across Sindh (Pakistan)
 

The relics and footprints of Islamic Prophets/ Imams are kept on display in many shrines, mosques and museums of many countries around the world. These objects have significant religious and historical value and millions of devotees perform pilgrimage at these holy locations. There are also many sites having holy footprints in the Subcontinent; such as the footprints of Adam in Sri Lanka and Prophet Mohammad’s footprints which are on display at the famous shrine called ‘Qadam Sharif’ in India. Similarly, there are many locations throughout India and Pakistan which are associated with Imam Ali’s relics and his footprints.

The Syed families living across the Subcontinent claim to be the descendants of Prophet Mohammad through Imam Ali, who was his cousin as well as his son in law. These families later migrated from Afghanistan, Iran or Turkey to various cities throughout the Subcontinent. These families have holy relics which their forefathers received as gifts or blessings of Imam Ali. The aim of this paper is to explore the sites having footprints associated with Imam Ali. It will also trace his footprints at different locations in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The most famous site is ‘Qadam Gaah Mola Ali’ which is situated in the city of Hyderabad, another site is said to be located near Hyderabad and is called the village of Seri, with other footprints found in Thatta and Shikarpur. This paper will also address the issues of authenticity and fiction related to these footprints.

Barnard, Nick, Curator, South and South-East Asia, Asian Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Footprints of Hindu Deities in Indian Jewellery
 

Divine footprints are seen in a range of different types of Hindu jewellery, as well as in other types of personal ornamentation such as body stamps, bringing the marks of the sacred feet in direct contact with the wearer. Pilgrims’ amulets were made in great numbers by the late 19th century and among the most technically sophisticated are the distinctive enamelled plaques bearing the footprints of Shrinathji, the form of Krishna worshipped at Nathdwara in Rajasthan. This paper will explore the range of ways in which footprints were translated into jewellery and their cultural and religious significance in this form.

Prof. Dr. Bühnemann, Gudrun, Asian Languages and Cultures, The University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Feet of Mañjuśrī
  
The Buddhist Newars of the Kathmandu Valley venerate the feet of the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. The sculpted feet, referred to as caraṇapādukās, are often installed in niches of caityas or in front of figural representations of the Bodhisattva. Since in the Newar tradition Mañjuśrī and the goddess Sarasvatī (Sasu-dya) are often conflated, the feet are sometimes considered to be Sarasvatī’s.

 At least in theory, Mañjuśrī’s feet can be distinguished from the sculpted feet of saints worshipped by other communities in South Asia by one characteristic: An eye is engraved on top of each foot. The eyes are likely to represent the eyes of knowledge (jñānacakṣus). Apart from this peculiar feature, we rarely find decorative features embellishing the Bodhisattva’s feet, which are usually represented in a naturalistic way.

 In this paper I will examine different representations of Mañjuśrī’s feet in their architectural setting in the Kathmandu Valley. In addition to visual material, I will also consider texts offering traditional explanations of the presence of Mañjuśrī’s feet in the Kathmandu Valley and the representation of the eyes on them. Finally, I will address the question of the antiquity of the representations of Mañjuśrī’s feet in the Kathmandu Valley.

Dr. des. Erduman-Calis, Deniz, Curator, Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin
Kadem-i Saadet—Foot Imprints of the Prophet Muhammad in the Collection of the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul
 

With the conquest of Cairo in 1517 through the Ottoman sultan Selim I. and the interconnected decline of the Mamluk dynasty, the Caliphate and the authority over the holy cities of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem passed over to the Ottoman sultans. Through this, many holy artefacts and memorabilia of the Prophet Muhammad, his fellows and joint saints of Muslims, Jews and Christians were transferred to the Topkapi Palace at the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. The Palace Museum holds today over 600 holy artefacts.

Amongst the relics of the Prophet Muhammad, the most honoured are his noble mantle (Hırka-i Saadet) and samples from the hair of his beard (Sakal-ı Şerif). Furthermore, the sultans brought together three single sandals (Na’l-i Saadet) and six foot imprints (Kadem-i Şerif) of the Prophet. It is said that Muhammad did not leave any foot imprints on sand but when walking on a stone underground, his feet were moulded into the rock. The most important foot imprint can be found at the Dome of Rock in Jerusalem to where the Prophet came during his Night Journey (Al-Isra`). The Ottomans left this imprint at his original holy place and took a mould for their collection.

All memorabilia and relics have been protected with deep reverence and veneration. Until today, they are appreciated for their healing and blessing effects. They are said to exude fragrance of roses; by touching the relic with the forehead or kissing it the believer hopes to receive blessings. An amulet in form of the Prophet’s sandal sole was used to be kept in many households to ask for protection of the home.

Dr. Haderer, Elisabeth, Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, The University of Hamburg and Research Associate, The University of Bonn  

Enlightened Presence—On the Representation of Footprints in Tibetan Buddhist Painted Scrolls
 

The representation of footprints in Buddhist art is almost as old as Buddhism itself. Until the development of the figurative image of the historical Buddha Śākyamuni (c. 560–478 BCE) around the 1st century C.E., the founder of Buddhism was mainly depicted in the form of symbols. Among them were, for example, the bodhi tree, the empty throne, the lion, the wheel of dharma (Skt. dharmacakra) and the Buddha’s footprints that expressed the deeds and teachings of the “Awakenend One” in an abstract manner.

With the transmission of Buddhism and its art from India to Tibet from around the 8th to the 13th centuries, the pictorial representation of footprints and even handprints of honoured Tibetan Buddhist teachers (Tib. bla ma) became common in Tibetan Buddhist art as well. Painted scrolls (Tib. thang ka) displaying handprints and footprints have at least a history of eight centuries in Tibet.

In my paper I will discuss the representation of footprints and handprints on a contemporary Tibetan thangka. Besides analysing the composition, the painting style and the iconography of the figures, I will present some possible interpretations of the symbolism that is connected with this special genre of Tibetan Buddhist art.

Prof. Dr. Hegewald, Julia A. B., Professor and Head of Department of Asian and Islamic Art History, The University of Bonn
Foot Images (Pādukās) as Multivariate Symbols in Jaina Religious Practices in India 
 

This paper examines sacred foot imprints (pādukās) created for ritual use in a Jaina context in India. The particular appeal of venerating feet lies in the innate contradiction that feet are considered impure in Asian cultures. The feet of an enlightened teacher or divine being, however, are believed to be much purer than mortal beings.

Footprints are particularly widespread and popular in Jaina art. This presentation will examine the earliest Jaina foot imprints from Mathura and trace their development of this genre over the centuries. Their height in popularity can be found under Muslim rule in the north of India, as the foot imprints were evidently considered non-figural by the Islamic forces and were usually spared, whereas statues of Jinas were regularly desecrated and destroyed.

What do the Jaina foot images represent? Are they symbols of an absent presence, do they show the last contact of the feet of saints with the soil before enlightenment or are they in fact figural in so far that they show part of a body? Most pādukās are in actual fact not imprints but positive, high relief forms, refashioning the soles of feet and toes.

Another fascinating dimension of Jaina pādukās is that they offer both major groups of Jainism, Śvetāmbaras and Digambaras, the opportunity to venerate the same objects. With statues this is not possible due to disagreements about dress conventions. Foot imprints have a close relation to figural representations, but they are abstract enough not to show sectarian divisions. As such, pādukās represent a bridging element between different Jaina groups.

Prof. Dr. Huntington, Susan L., Emeritus Professor, Ohio State University, Columbus
Footprints in the Early Buddhist Art of India: An Examination of Art Historical Methodology
 

One of the most vexing problems art historians face in their quest to interpret works of art is assessing artistic intention. How can we truly know what the creators of works of art intended to communicate through a visual form? Beyond the literalness of the forms depicted, are there meanings that are intentionally implied but not shown? If so, what are the types of reliable extra-artistic evidence we can use to extrapolate such intentions and thereby inform the interpretation of the work? And how can we be sure that we have not overstepped?

Analysis of the scholarship on the footprint motif in the early Buddhist art of India provides an excellent case study to explore these very basic but nonetheless challenging art historical questions. This is because, rather than being taken literally as depictions of footprints, these early examples have been universally viewed as substitutes for an anthropomorphic depiction of the Buddha. But is this what the artists intended or are we reading too much into the interpretation of these portrayals? Is there solid proof to support this well accepted claim or might there be alternative evidence suggesting another meaning? This paper attempts to understand the intentionality behind the footprint motif in the early Buddhist art of India and thus shed light on its role in Buddhism’s earliest artistic examples. More broadly, in doing so, this paper aims to help sharpen the methodological tools by which we can infer artistic intention and thereby interpret works of art.

Dr. Jain-Neubauer, Jutta, Independent Researcher, New Delhi and Berlin
Feet and Footmarks in Indian Culture and their Visual Representation
 

My paper will explore the semantics and semiotics of feet and footprints as manifestation of utmost devotion and wilful submission, as that of divine energy and creative powers, and paradoxically, even of repugnance and repudiation. Associated with these is also the sentiment of affection, seduction and erotic expression. These notions will be traced in the visual representations in canonical sculpture, painting, and bronzes, as well as in the vernacular and popular traditions. The presentation will bring into focus, for example, Vishnupada, the iconozation of Vishnu’s feet; the story of Rama and Bharata, and that of Ahalya of the Ramayana; the images of Lakshmi seated at reclining Vishnu’s feet, Krishna caressing Radha’s feet; the footprints of a guru or of venerated personages, and the innate powers of the feet of the Great Goddess (Shakti) and of celestial females such as shalabhanjikas. The composite sentiment of love and offence simultaneously connected with the foot in Indian culture will be illustrated with a reference to a 5th century Sanskrit play entitled Padataditakam, or “Hit by the Foot”, involving a love-affair between a Brahmin and a courtesan. The presentation will end with the varied spectrum of padukas and later-day vacillating shoe traditions of India, generally considered a barefoot country.

Prof. Dr. Korn, Lorenz, Professor of Islamic Art and Archaeology, University of Bamberg
Footprints as Relics and as Symbols of Veneration in Islamic Art
 

The imprints of the living body in stone, as relics of the prophets and other venerated men, are held in particular respect by many Muslims. There is a wide range of such relics, ranging from traces left by the oldest prophets (such as Ibrahim) to the footprints of the Prophet Muhammad, his contemporaries (Ali) and persons from later history such as the Shiʿi imams. There is a connection between footprints in stone and certain sanctuaries, the ḥaram of Mecca being the most prominent among them, while other examples can be found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The practice of veneration becomes tangible not only in rites of pilgrimage, but also in the representations of footprints (and sandals), which can be found in book painting as well as in other media. This paper will argue that the symbol of the footsteps offer a twofold perspective: Since the standing before god is a crucial element of the attitude of the believer during prayer, and can also be connected with the pilgrimage to Mecca, the motif of the footprints is imbued with a potential of identification for the believer. On the other hand, the motif represents the sacred that is worthy of veneration. Looking at several footstep (or sandal) images, it will be asked whether it is possible in each case to interpret and to determine what the communication through the relevant object implied.

Prof. Dr. Lorenzetti, Tiziana, President International Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), Rome
The Cult of Footwear in the Liṅgāyat Tradition: Peculiarities and Symbologies
  
In many ancient traditions, whether Western or Eastern, the veneration of the footprints left by a god, a saint, or a master is quite common. Indeed, plenty of such images, in stone, marble, silver, ivory or some that are even painted, have come down to us, still functioning as votive objects.

In the Indian milieu, in particular, the widespread cult of the footprints coexists with an equally prevalent devotion to the guru’s and ascetic’s footwear (pādukā).

The present paper will attempt to throw new light on certain aspects of the cult of the guru’s sandals and other footwear, in the Liṅgāyat tradition. Focusing on how the Liṅgāyat practices and peculiarities compare with similar cultic traditions in the larger Hindu culture. 

Dr. Shaw, Sarah, Faculty of Oriental Studies and Wolfson College, University of Oxford
The Buddha’s Footprint and the Southeast Asian Imaginaire
 

This paper explores the textual background to footprint depictions as a background to their visual presentation in Southeast Asian Buddhism. It explores the kamma and associations of the first two ‘marks’ of the Buddha: ‘well-planted feet’ and the ‘arising of wheels on the palms and the hands’, explained in the Lakkhaṇa Sutta (DN  30). It then examines the Pāli Buddhapādamaṅgala, ‘Auspicious Signs on the Buddha’s Feet’ (Claudio Cicuzza trans.). It suggests that through the evolution of a strong association with the Mahāsudassana-Sutta (DN 17) and its cosmology, the footprint and its developing iconography embodies Buddhist teaching for humans. Unlike the gods of Indian literature, whose feet never touch the ground, visual depictions of the footprint define and stamp the teaching of the Buddha as particularly human. The symbology of the footprint embodies the richly diverse possibilities of this realm, as seen in part in the idealised iconography of the Mahāsudassana-Sutta (DN17). Later symbols of the 108 marks, and the numerological and artistic references included in the various lists of the ‘auspicious signs’ associated with them, are explored for possible links to the complex meditative teaching systems of Siam and Southeast Asia, which employ comparable symbolism and numerical analysis.

Dr. Wenzel, Claudia, Heidelberger Academy of Sciences and Humanities, research project Buddhist Stone Sutras in China
The Buddha’s Footprints in China

 
Chinese pilgrim monks who travelled to the Western Regions from the 4th to the 7th centuries gave vivid accounts of their visits to sacred sites, where footprints of the Buddha (foji 佛跡) in stone were venerated. They were thus familiar with Indian sites of pilgrimage embracing a rich diversity of Buddha relics, the footprints being among the most widespread. In China proper, veneration of the Buddha’s footprints is evident for the same time. Textual sources compiled during the Tang dynasty (618–907), often mention them in the context of miraculous responses. Footprints are said to have appeared spontaneously, or to have emitted supernatural light; they thus belong to same category as bodily relics, or Asokan, i.e. “true” images of the Buddha. Some of them are even said to have not been left behind by the Buddha, but by his true image walking.

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