Sakyamuni Buddha

NEPAL

The figure’s usnisa, urna, long earlobes, and the three lines on the neck are characteristics of a Buddha. He is seated in the full lotus position on a double lotus throne, on which a vajra is placed. The right hand is in bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra and the left hand holds a medicine jar. The foliated openwork mandorla behind him contains nine four-armed figures in niches, most are wrathful Vajrayana protectors. Above the Buddha is an ornate canopy surmounted by a jewel. An inscription in Nepali found at the back of the lotus throne states that the statue was made in 1795 as an offering from Dhanadatasiha of Maduvahi, and identifies the statue as Sakyasimha, “the lion of the Sakyas,” otherwise known as Sakyamuni Buddha.