Zar Dheri Temple: Maitreya Bodhisattva and Followers

PAKISTAN, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Hazara

This sectioned panel was discovered in 1999 at the site of Zar Dheri Temple in Hazara and shows figures making offerings. Maitreya Bodhisattva is located at the bottom right, shaded by a royal canopy. The figure has a mustache and wavy hair that is gathered into a topknot. In the left hand, he carries a vase, as do two of the figures above him. These figures are bearded, have their right shoulders bared and wear kilts, which may be a sign of their brahmin status. All the figures walk in the same direction, as if in procession, with hands raised in acclamation or reverence.
According to archaeological records, another relief with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva leading a group of attendants, advances from the opposite direction. This suggests that the two were companion pieces for a missing third panel that was most likely located in the center and probably depicted a Buddha.