Bodhgaya: Votive Tablet with Sakyamuni Buddha

INDIA, Bihar, Bodhgaya

This votive tablet in the form of a lotus petal was excavated at Bodhgaya. The edge is decorated with beads but many have worn away. Sakyamuni Buddha is seated in lotus position on a lotus throne within an arched niche that represents the Mahabodhi Temple. He has tightly curled hair, slender eyes and eyebrows, and long earlobes. His mouth is quite small and he has a fleshy lower lip. The dignified and solemn Buddha is clad in a thin fitted robe across the left shoulder. The robe is depicted by a simple line across his chest emphasizing his strong build. His right hand forms the bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra. Above the niche, there is a stupa with a prominent canopy surmounted by a spire, to which ribbons are attached. Flanking the stupa are Bodhi trees symbolized by branches. There are a number of stupas of various sizes on both sides of the Buddha. Under the lotus throne, there are three lines of Buddhist text in Sanskrit.