Homa and Other Fire Rituals in Gandhara

Abstract

In presenting some new elements that, in my opinion, may be useful for a better understanding of Gandharan Buddism, I will deliberately leave aside (though non entirely) the main path of Gandharan studies, which has largerly remained that traced out by Alfred Foucher at the beginning of this century. It has given good results solely in the interpretation of "narrative" scenes, which he compared with hagiographic-narrative texts (Buddha's lives, jatakas, etc.). Many scholars after Foucher have improved (but not surpassed) his interpretation, and have explained scenes he had not: nevertheless, moving within the same paradigm, where they progressed by means of additions and corrections, they failed to offer any new insight into Gandharan Buddhism. As J.C. Huntington (1984: 134) has observed, "Gandharan Buddhist iconography is still very poorly understood".