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303 photos
Bimaran Reliquary, from stupa 2 at Bimaran, Gandhara (Afghanistan). The inscription on the steatite casket in which the reliquary was kept, states that it contained some of the bones of the Buddha; when found in the 19th century, the bones were missing, but there were burnt pearls, beads of precious and semi-precious stones and four coins, which date the reliquary to about 50 CE. In the central arch the Buddha, with two figures facing him on either side. OA 1900.2-9.1
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Bimaran Reliquary, from stupa 2 at Bimaran, Gandhara (Afghanistan). The inscrip...

Seated grey schist figure of Hariti with children, Gandhara, India, 2nd - 3rd CE. Hariti, once a malevolent ogress, converted to Buddhism and became a protectress of children. She wears a thin, pleated dress, holds a child in her lap and is surrounded by other children. OA 1886.6-11.1
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Seated grey schist figure of Hariti with children, Gandhara, India, 2nd - 3rd C...

Dark grey schist head from a statue of the Buddha, 2nd CE Gandhara, India. This sculpture, like most of the Buddhist art from Gandhara, can be dated between the first to the fifth centuries. As a result of the various cultures that settled or moved along the trade routes in the region, the sculptures have taken on a distinctive style, combining Graeco-Roman, Indian, Chinese and Central Asian influences. OA 1929.11-4.1
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Dark grey schist head from a statue of the Buddha, 2nd CE Gandhara, India. This...

Schist head of the fasting Buddha, Pakistan, 2nd-3rd CE. It captures the time when the Buddha pursued austerities. He then realized that the "Middle Way", a more moderate life of meditation and moral conduct led to nirvana. This "Middle Way" is still a key feature of Buddhism today. OA 1907.12-28.1
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Schist head of the fasting Buddha, Pakistan, 2nd-3rd CE. It captures the time w...

Grey schist relief panel of figures venerating a stupa, late 1st-2nd CE. The procession of figures are performing the rite of pradakshina, the circumambulation of a stupa in clockwise direction. They are led by a figure carrying a lamp. On the other side two monks with tonsured heads are worshipping the stupa. OA 1902.10-2.29
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Grey schist relief panel of figures venerating a stupa, late 1st-2nd CE. The pro...

Limestone panel depicting the Buddhapada, from the Great Stupa at Amaravati, 1st BCE. At the centre of each foot is a finely spoked dharmachakra, the Wheel of Law set in motion when the Buddha gave his first sermon. On the heels are triratnas flanked by swastikas. The triratnas represent the three jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha himself, his dharma (teachings) and the sangha, the community of Buddhist monks. OA 1880.7-9.57
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Limestone panel depicting the Buddhapada, from the Great Stupa at Amaravati, 1st...

Limestone relief panel depicting a chakravartin, from the Great Stupa at Amaravati, 2nd century. He raises his hands in a gesture of worship. Next to him stand two women in dhotis (long loincloths) holding fly-whisks. A chakravartin is a universal monarch whose realm and influence spread extensively. Early texts refer to the Buddha as a chakravatin. OA 1880.7-9.49
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Limestone relief panel depicting a chakravartin, from the Great Stupa at Amarava...

Carving of the Great Stupa on a limestone slab, 3rd CE. An image of the Buddha stands in the entrance to the stupa being worshipped. Lions on pillars guard the entrance. Celestial beings and dwarf yakshas (nature deities) surround the stupa. Reliefs such as this one permits one to reconstruct what the Great Stupa, built in the 2nd to 1st BCE, looked like. OA 1880.7-9.79
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Carving of the Great Stupa on a limestone slab, 3rd CE. An image of the Buddha s...

Limestone pillar depicting scenes from the life of Buddha, from the railing around the Great Stupa, 3rd CE. The veduka, or fence, fulfills the dual role of demarcating the sacred space of the stupa and providing a pathway between the fence and the stupa that devotees use when walking around the stupa. OA 1880.7-9.7
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Limestone pillar depicting scenes from the life of Buddha, from the railing arou...

Grey schist relief panel depicting the maha-pari-nirvana, the Buddha's physical passing from this world. The grieving figures that surround the dying Buddha include prnces, beggars and lay-followers. In front of the couch on which he lies are the monk Ananda and the nun Subhadra. OA 1913.11-8.17
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Grey schist relief panel depicting the maha-pari-nirvana, the Buddha's physical...

Bronze statue of Buddha, the Deccan, India, 8th CE. The right hand of the statue is shown in the gesture of charity (varadamudra). The Buddha's robes are barely visible and his right shoulder is bare. Buddhism began to decline in India after the 5th century and the collapse of the Gupta Empire. This image is evidence for the continued practice of Buddhism in southern India into the 8th century. OA 1905.12-18.1
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Bronze statue of Buddha, the Deccan, India, 8th CE. The right hand of the statue...

Gilt bronze and silver figure of the enshrined Buddha, Sri Lanka, 18th century. The image of Buddha stands in a 31 cm-high silver arched shrine. The Buddha's right hand faces palm outwards with thumb and forefinger touching, a gesture indicating argument or discussion. The decoration of the arch spews from the mouths of two mythical aquatic monsters. OA 1905.6-16.83
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Gilt bronze and silver figure of the enshrined Buddha, Sri Lanka, 18th century...