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INTRODUCTION
The lotus is the most famous flower around the world including Asia. It is widely distributed across China, Japan, Korea and South East Asia to Northern Australia. It grow abundantly during warm weather in lakes and slow flowing rivers. The midsummer is the blooming and flowering season. Lotus Lake provides an unforgettable sight in its beauty. Being famous for beauty such as it looks like a sea of Parasol shaped, emerald leaves, and the beautiful pink of white flowers. It has been appreciated from proto-Historic period for example, from Mohenjo Darò one female figurine of goddness is found with the lotus in her hair in standing posture, with the familiar maternal gesture (Zammer 1999:96). In the Hindu tradition, the Universe it self came into being when a million petal, cosmic lotus sprouted from the naval of Lord Vashnu (Soon, 2002).
Muslims also took it as sacred flower, as pervasive and ancient and purity sacredness, resplendent flower rising from the dirt and murky water. Buddhism employed the lotus as a simile for purity because of its habit of producing flowers that are untainted by the mud from which they rose. It as stood for detachment and enlightenment, the ability to rise above once circumstance and freedom from bias.
The lotus has many uses such as it is decorative, fragrant, edible, nutritious, medicinal and ritual. Originally it was phrased for water which was the source of life, fertility, many children, abundance continuity and the right of kings. In romantic literature it was granted as a simile for beauty, for the numerous names like lotus faced, lotus eyed, and heart of the lotus (Soon, 2002). The lotus is also featured in all forms of art, ranging from poetry, literature and dance to painting, ceramics, handicrafts, temple designs and decorations and religious sculpture. It played major role in Buddhist art and was used in religious and festive decorations.
The Indian artists who first portrayed the lotus in the Buddhist monuments reveled in using the flowers in its original context. For this purpose the lotus was shown as a flowering rhizome. The association with royalty was symbolized by the presence of lions, elephants, horses and the bull. Such designs were employed extensively as vertical or horizontal friezes or...