Buddha
Sculpture
11th century (made)
11th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Buddha is seated in meditation on a double lotus throne, his right hand in the gesture of bhumisparsha (earth-witnessing). The head, right arm, portions of feet and hands are missing. He is wearing monk's robes with his right shoulder bare. One end of the robe hangs over his left shoulder, and the other end is lightly held over palm. The icon refers to the moment of the final defeat by the Buddha of the demon Mara and the forces of worldly entanglement. With this gesture the Buddha called upon the earth goddess to witness his victory over temptation. She appeared and his final victory was confirmed. A vajra (thunderbolt), rests on the lotus seat between his knees, symbolising the adamantine quality of his faith.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Title | Buddha (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Seated figure of Buddha; black shale; Patna, Bihar; 11th century |
| Physical description | The Buddha is seated in meditation on a double lotus throne, his right hand in the gesture of bhumisparsha (earth-witnessing). The head, right arm, portions of feet and hands are missing. He is wearing monk's robes with his right shoulder bare. One end of the robe hangs over his left shoulder, and the other end is lightly held over palm. The icon refers to the moment of the final defeat by the Buddha of the demon Mara and the forces of worldly entanglement. With this gesture the Buddha called upon the earth goddess to witness his victory over temptation. She appeared and his final victory was confirmed. A vajra (thunderbolt), rests on the lotus seat between his knees, symbolising the adamantine quality of his faith. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by the Architectural Association, Royal Architectural Museum, 37 Great Smith Street, Westminster, S.W |
| Object history | Given by the Architectural Association, to which this and 51 related architectural pieces from ruined temples devastated by Muslim raiders in the 14th and 15th centuries on the twin summits of Mount Shatrunjaya, Palitana in Gujarat, IM 53-112-1916, had been presented by Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, Ist baronet, G.C.B, C.C.S.I. (1815-1884), former Governor of Bombay, in 1877. As John Guy writes in The Peaceful Liberators the high degree of stylistic uniformity suggests that these pieces were collected from a single temple, or at least from sites that were contemporary. They are related to known Solanki dynasty temples of the 11th and 12th centuries: inscriptions record that endowments were made to the Shatrunjaya temples during the reign of Siddharaja Jayasimha (1095-1142), a Solanki ruler renowned for his patronage. Given by the Architectural Association, Royal Architectural Museum, 37 Great Smith Street, Westminster, S.W. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project. R.P. 1915-3836M and R.P. 1916-2270M |
| Production | Found in North Bihar district, Patna, Eastern India |
| Subject depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | Haworth-Booth, Mark; Indian Sculpture: A Travelling Exhibition, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1971
no. 10 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.111-1916 |
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| Record created | February 28, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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