Art

This Buddha Shakyamuni is another typical example of Gandharan art. It stood in a niche within a temple or monastery. In the relief on its base, another Buddha sits enthroned; he is framed by two figures whose robes, folded hands, and shaved heads (tonsures) identify them as monks. Because this type of image was widespread, the original appearance of the damaged sections is known: the Buddha’s missing right hand was raised in the gesture of fearlessness as an expression of openness and receptiveness; his left hand is assumed to have held the hem of his monk's robe.