Recently I sent out a query to a few other lists and received some
responses
but only one person sent me a reference to check out. I hope that perhaps
someone in this list might be able to add some insights and or references to
consult.

Joanna Kirkpatrick
Bennington College, ret.
Boise, ID
--------------------------
When I recently visited the Art Inst of Chicago--having been there before
on
several occasions--I suddenly noticed something I'd simply overlooked
before.

Just inside the exhibit after you enter, when you go right into the Asian
art sculpture section, there is a gorgeous torso sculpture identified as
a Gandharan Bodhisattva .
What stuns me are the obvious tabiz-like multiple amulet necklaces he is
wearing draped over his chest and upper arms. The amulets are shaped quite
like so many tabiz one sees on south Asian Muslims usually around the neck
or tied closely on an upper arm. The shape is a rectangular-ish tube
attached by 2 loops to the chain on this murti. (Sorry I don't have a
photo
of this, but one correspondent has offered to send me some of his photos
from elsewhere of similar Gandharan material. Anyone living in Chicago will
probably know which image I speak of here.)

Indian Buddha images of course do not wear jewelry (at least far
as I've noticed--there could always be exceptions.) Bodhisattvas do. But
these I speak of are not just jewelry--they are amulet necklaces.

I've looked at a few other Gandharan period images on the LACMA website
--of Hariti for ex.--she does not wear amulets but necklaces. There is one
headless image, identified as a Buddha on the site, which wears three
identical
bead necklaces but the jewlery shows no amulets (why would he wear amulets
since he is the founder?).

One does not see such tabiz shaped amulets on east Asian Bodhisattvas--I
can't recall seeing any on southeast Asian Bodhisattvas, either--they seem
to wear distinctly jewelry necklaces and other ornaments.

Also, I don't know of any evidence that the Greeks of this period wore
amulets, even though their esthetics/conventions influenced Gandharan
design. Did the Hindus of this period wear amulets?

Could the wearing of tabiz-like amulets have preceded Buddhism in this
northwest area of the sub-continent--could they have been a local custom
which was continued by local Buddhist converts of this period in that
area?--which subsequently was continued by the local Muslims (probably the
converts)? Does anyone have any references or textual insights they could
share with me?
---------------------
Replies so far: One scholar wrote that indeed amulets were worn at Harappa
(no
references given). Another more or less wrote the same--that amulet wearing
in
this area preceded Buddhism, etc. Again, no references. I''m located far
from any
university library with south asian sources. I thought that perhaps someone
on this list
might help with this.

Thanks.