Dunkar Caves: Seated Buddha

CHINA, Tibet, Ngari; Guge Kingdom

This statue of Sakyamuni Buddha was found in the Dunkar Caves in the Ngari prefecture of western Tibet. The Buddha has tightly curled hair and a conical usnisa crowned by a jewel. The brow and high bridged nose are joined to form a broad “Y” shape, and the urna on the forehead is carved in a whorl. The Buddha has elongated earlobes, while the mouth is small. The three lines usually found incised around the neck have been displaced downwards to the collarbone. The body is large with muscular limbs, and the figure wears a monastic robe folded over the left shoulder. The hem under the crossed legs is splayed out like a fan and decorated with faintly incised floral patterns. The Buddha’s hands display the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) mudra. Both the palms and the soles are engraved with Dharma wheels which, along with most of the other features above, are some of the Thirty-Two Marks of Excellence displayed by the Buddha.