Standing Bodhisattva

PAKISTAN

The statue was discovered in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Bodhisattva is depicted as a full-bodied aristocrat standing with the left hand resting at the waist, and the bent right leg throwing the weight of the body on the left. The eyes are hooded and a mustache fringes the stern mouth. The magnificent headpiece has the circular ornament of a member of the nobility. Fluttering ribbons carved in low relief are against what remains of the circular nimbus.
Solid jewelry hangs about the bare torso and ornaments the arms. The stole that wraps the left shoulder is draped across the body. The lower garment is tucked at the waist and appears to be weighted with a bud-like ornament on the right. Thong sandals are secured at the ankle. A relief on the pedestal depicts a stupa with worshippers on either side.