 |
Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat Chaliang: Walking Buddha
|
| |
|
Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat Chaliang: Walking Buddha
THAILAND, Sukhothai; 13th century; Stucco
The statue is located in Chaliang and is believed to be the first walking Buddha from the Sukhothai Kingdom (circa 1238–1438). Slanting at a 75 degree angle, the walking figure is believed to depict the Buddha 's Return from Trayastrimsa Heaven, a subject that was popular in Sri Lanka at the time and may have originated from there as well.
Buddha characteristics include the mounded usnisa, extended earlobes, and the three lines on the neck. The wide shoulders and slim waist are characteristic of the regional style. The monastic robe leaves the right shoulder bare and falls in an arc about the ankles. Its thinness allows the figure underneath to show through, so the right leg is visibly bent and places the weight on the left leg, as if in motion. No great emphasis is placed on the figure 's proportion; instead, the work focuses mainly on the smoothness of the figure and the flow of the robe. |
