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Mathura: Buddha and a King
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Mathura: Buddha and a King
INDIA, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura; circa 1st century; Sandstone; H: 30.5 cm; Lucknow State Museum, Uttar Pradesh, India
Discovered at Kankali Tila, Mathura, this early relief depicts the Buddha in conversation with a king who wears the elaborate turban of the Kushan period (circa 1st–3rd century). The assumption is that this represents the meeting between the Buddha and his father, King Suddhodana. The Buddha is on the right with uncurled hair and the usnisa set well forward on the head, familiar in Kushan depictions. The Buddha is clothed much like the king, with only a stole about one shoulder and a skirt beneath, the folds in both of which run parallel. The figure by the column on the left brings palms together in respect. A servant is holding a parasol in the background. |
