Shahbaz Garhi: Standing Bodhisattva

PAKISTAN, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shahbaz Garhi; Kushan period

The statue was discovered at Shahbaz Garhi and is a good example of the influence of the Hellenistic style in Gandhara. The mustached Bodhisattva is dressed as a Gandharan aristocrat. The headdress has a squared jewel in the center and a pair of apsaras on either side whose fluttering stoles fly out across the nimbus. A garuda bird perches on top of the headdress, its tail feathers spread. The Bodhisattva’s earrings are shaped like lions while the jewelry on the chest consists of a lotus-shaped collar and a necklace with heavenly beings holding a box between them. The right hand is stretched out, while the left hand secures the stole that loops from the left shoulder to the right forearm. A robe also wraps the left shoulder and falls down over the long skirt. The shape of the advanced right leg shows through the folds of the material. The thong sandals are decorated with lion heads, the animal symbolizing royalty. Four devotees are in relief on the pedestal.