Sikri: Paying Respect to Sakyamuni’s Hair and Turban

PAKISTAN, Balochistan, Sikri; Kushan period

The sculpture was unearthed from Sikri, and depicts an account from the Lalitavistara Sutra. Prince Siddhartha cast away his sheared hair and princely turban after he renounces to become a religious wanderer. These items were then obtained by the heavenly beings of Trayastrimsa Heaven and taken to their palace to be enshrined and venerated.
The turban is the focus of the carving. Fabric surrounds the large pear shaped decoration at the center with fan shaped folds. The turban and the hair are placed on a throne shielded by a canopy. Two deities, holding whisks and wearing similar turbans, attend on either side. The figure paying reverence on the right is probably Sakra.