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SOUTH ASIAN OBJECTS FROM THE COLLECTION
INDIA
Sculpture from the Kushan Period
Sculpture from North India, 5th-7th Centuries
Jain sculpture
Sculpture of the Pala Period
Stone Sculpture from Hindu Temples
Sculptures from South India, 8th-9th Centuries
Bronze Sculpture of the Chola Period
Art for the Mughal and Rajput Courts
Hindu Temple Hangings
Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet
NEPAL
Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet
Sculpture from Nepal
PAKISTAN
Sculpture from the Kushan Period
SRI LANKA
Two Bodhisattvas from Sri Lanka
Buddha Shakyamuni
India, Bihar; Pala period (c.8th - 12th century), late 9th - early 10th century
Schist
H. 28 1/4 in. (71.8 cm)
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art
1979.037
This image of the Buddha makes the earth-touching gesture (bhumisparsha mudra) with his right hand and the gesture of meditation with his left. Together, these two gestures signify the moment when the Buddha-to-be overcame the forces of the demon Mara and reached down to call the earth goddess (represented below holding a water pot) to witness his right to achieve enlightenment. Branching out above the Buddha are leaves which symbolize the bodhi tree under which he sat and meditated before his enlightenment. Flanking the Buddha are two bodhisattvas, Maitreya and Avalokiteshvara, who stand to his right and left respectively and are identifiable by the different types of lotuses they hold.
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