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Bihar: Maitreya Bodhisattva and Attendants
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Bihar: Maitreya Bodhisattva and Attendants
INDIA, Bihar; circa 10th century; Stone; H: 72.5 cm; Indian Museum, Kolkata, India
This statue was unearthed in Bihar and is dated to around the 10th century during the Pala period (circa 8th-12th century). Maitreya Bodhisattva stands in the tribhanga posture on a lotus pedestal. The nimbus consists of a floral garland. A stole flows down from the left shoulder together with a long sacred thread. The body is adorned with a heavy necklace, large armlets, bracelets, and an intricate belt. A diaphanous dhoti with a circular design covers the lower part of the body. The right hand forms the varada (wish-granting) mudra and there is a Dharma wheel on the palm. The left hand is missing but it is believed that it once held a dragon flower. Characteristics such as the high topknot with a headdress featuring a stupa and the presence of a dragon flower are unique to the Pala period.
Two smaller figures of four-armed heavenly beings flank Maitreya. They wear different types of headdresses and garments, and their tribhanga postures are more exaggerated. |
