The “Webbed Fingers” of Buddha
By Jitendra Nath Banerjee
Summary
This brief note examines a curious iconographic feature attributed to the Buddha: the webbing between his fingers described in certain textual sources. Drawing on passages from the Lalitavistara and the Mahāvastu, the author explains that the Buddha’s fingers are said to be joined by a fine membrane (jala), symbolising unity and completeness. The note reviews earlier scholarship on the motif and argues that sculptors rarely represented webbed fingers literally in early art because the symbolism was metaphorical rather than anatomical. The author suggests that later misunderstandings led to literal depictions and clarifies that the webbing should be understood as a poetic device emphasising the Buddha’s superhuman perfection.
Conclusion
The note sheds light on an obscure aspect of Buddhist iconography. By contextualising textual descriptions, it resolves confusion over whether the Buddha’s fingers were physically webbed and reinforces the importance of interpreting artistic motifs through doctrinal symbolism.