The Role of Art in Buddhist Traditions: A Transregional, Phenomenological Overview

This paper examines the role of art in the transregional transmission of Buddhism through the case of the Newar Buddhist tradition of the Kathmandu Valley. As the only surviving Buddhist tradition grounded in Sanskrit textual practice, Newar Buddhism preserves a rich combination of ritual, iconographic, architectural, and artistic traditions that offer valuable perspectives on the broader history of Buddhism across Asia. Recent research demonstrates that many Newar artistic practices, including large ritual banner paintings displayed during festivals, preserve early pan-Indic traditions while also corresponding closely to evidence from Central Asia and China. Building on the study of ritual objects, paintings, sculptures, and sacred spaces, this paper proposes a broader analytical framework for understanding the functions of art in sustaining and transmitting Buddhist culture. Rather than treating artworks merely as objects of aesthetic appreciation, it argues that they functioned as active agents in Buddhist religious life and cultural continuity. Seven principal functions of Buddhist art are identified: (1) ritual images as living embodiments of sacred presence; (2) commemorative art documenting religious patrons and ceremonies; (3) visual narration of Buddhist teachings and sacred history; (4) art as a medium of lifelong devotional participation; (5) the construction and demarcation of sacred space; (6) visual supports for meditation and ritual visualization; and (7) the embellishment of ritual environments during festivals. Drawing on evidence from the Kathmandu Valley while situating these functions within a wider Asian context, this paper argues that these artistic practices illuminate broader mechanisms through which Buddhism spread, adapted, and endured across regions. It proposes that Buddhist art should be understood not as a peripheral expression of religion but as one of the principal media through which Buddhist culture was transmitted, reproduced, and transformed throughout the premodern world.