Buddha
- Place of origin:
- Date:
5th century -6th Century (made)
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
South-East Asia, room 47b, case BNC, shelf 1
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This large-scale terracotta relief of a Buddha sitting cross-legged in meditating position was recovered from the collapsed remains of a 5th-6th century stupa at Kahu-jo-daro, near Mirpur Khas, in Sind, Pakistan. It came from a recess in one of the faces of the square basement section of the stupa and it is one of a series of depictions of Buddhas that decorated the walls of the basement.
Stupas were the archetypal Buddhist structures, developing from cairns made to cover relics of the Buddha but later covering other sacred relics and objects and acting as a distinctive symbol of Buddhism. Early examples were probably simple hemispherical mounds of earth but over time they came to be encased in brick or stone and became more elaborate and often taller, the dome being mounted on a cylindrical drum, surrounded by a processional pathway with railings. The drum was, in turn, in some places raised on a square base. Similarly, elaborate programmes of sculpture came to be used to adorn some stupas. At the time this stupa was made Buddhism was far more widely practised in India than it is today, the religion having all but disappeared in northern India around the thirteenth century.
Physical description
Panel of terracotta, with traces of colour. The panel is rectangular. In the middle is a high-relief figure of a Buddha on a lotus-seat, seated with the hands in the lap in the dhyana mudra. The definitions of the hair, eyes and forehead 'urna' are obtained by impressed circles. The halo has a border of square and round rosettes, beading and crenellations. The panel is framed by a raised hatched border.
Place of Origin
Pakistan (Sind, made)
Date
5th century -6th Century (made)
Artist/maker
unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Terracotta
Dimensions
Height: 68 cm, Width: 47.5 cm, Depth: 16 cm
Object history note
The panel came from a recess in one of the faces of the basement of a Buddhist stupa at Kahu-jo-daro, near Mirpur-khas, Sind.
Descriptive line
BUDDHA FROM THE BASEMENT OF STUPA: Terracotta relief, Kahu-jo-daro, near Mirpur Khas, Sind, Pakistan. Gupta period, 5th-6th century.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Journal of Bombay Branch, Royal Asiatic Society, vol. IX, pp.44 ff.
Annual Report, Archaeological Survey of India, 1909-10, pp.80 ff.
Mukherjee, Sabyasachi. 'The Reconstruction of a Buddhist Stupa at Mirpurkhas', in MARG Publications, vol. 60, no. 1, September, 2008 'Sindh: Past Glory, Present Nostalgia'.
As well as discussing the site and its images this includes an image of the V&A Buddha and shows its possible original position on the plan of the stupa. The article notes that it was probably rescued from railway contractors in 1894 by Mr Woodburn, the Collector of Hyderabad, along with the head of a second Buddha image. Other sculptures from the Mirpurkhas stupa are in the C.S.M.V.S. Museum, Mumbai.
Labels and date
BUDDHA FROM THE BASEMENT OF STUPA: Terracotta, Kahu-jo-daro, near Mirpur Khas, Sind, Pakistan. Gupta period, 5th-6th century.
This large scale terracotta relief panel of a meditating Buddha was recovered from the collapsed remains of a 5th-6th century stupa in Sind. The figure of the Buddha is surrounded by a floral border. It is one of a series of Buddhas that decorated the walls of the square basement section of the stupa. [2007]
Production Note
From the stupa near Mirpurkhas
Subjects depicted
Buddha
Categories
Buddhism
Collection code
SSEA
