The Persistence and Transformation of the Catur-paśu (Four Auspicious Animals) in the Pala School of Art at Nalanda

Gautam Anand

The ancient monastic university of Nalanda Mahāvihāra was a major centre for the development of Mahayāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism and generated a rich corpus of sculpture now preserved primarily in the Nalanda Archaeological Museum, representative of the Pala School (c. 8th-12th centuries CE). This paper examines the iconography and symbolic functions of the Catur-paśu, the Four Auspicious Animals – Lion (Siṃha), Elephant (Gaja), Horse (A śva), and Bull (Vṛṣabha)—whose roles, initially prominent in early Buddhist art, were significantly transformed within the Nalanda visual repertoire. Through a close study of selected stone, bronze, and stucco images, it traces how Pala artisans reconfigured these motifs to serve two interrelated functions. First, the animals operate as vahanas (vehicles) of the Dhyāni Buddhas and principal Bodhisattvas, integrating them into the cosmological logic of Vajrayāna mandalas and reflecting complex doctrinal developments at Nalanda. Second, they appear systematically as decorative and protective elements on vajrāsanas (diamond thrones) and temple pedestals, arranged according to strict directional codes. Their stylistic rendering marks a shift from the softer, more naturalistic Gupta models to a dynamic and highly stylised Pala aesthetic. The study argues that the Catur-paśu at Nalanda provide a key lens for understanding the evolution of Buddhist iconography and the negotiation between enduring classical symbols and the ritual and ideological demands of the later monastic period in South Asia.