Buddha with Divine 'Lakshanas'

This finely modeled figure represents the Buddha Shakyamuni, whose right hand is raised in the Abhaya Mudra (fearlessness), and the left makes the boon-granting gesture (Varada Mudra). He wears a shawl whose volume is emphasized by close symmetrical striations, and the pleats ending out like a curtain at the spreading lower edge.

The Buddha stands firm and erect on a lotus mounted on a rectangular base. The rhythmic pattern of the folds and pleats of his garment contribute to the peaceful demeanor of the composition. The halo behind Buddha's head adds the overall serenity of his face.

The great Buddha is always portrayed idealistically rather than realistically. Since he is supermundane, his form is an assimilation of thirty-two signs of divinity, known as 'lakshanas'. Thus, apart from precisely defined proportions, the artists are also expected to adhere strictly to iconographic conventions. Hence Buddha's hair is to be shown as a mass of small curls; a bump known as ushnisha, symbolizing his superior wisdom, has to protrude from his head, and his brow has to have a circular mark in the center (urna) like the third eye. All these features have been faithfully adhered to in this sculpture.

This statue was carved in Gaya, a sacred center of pilgrimage for Buddhists the world over, celebrated as the place where. Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment. The artist is Shri Deepak Gaur.