Seated Buddha In European Posture (bhadrasana)

Description

The earliest reference to spread of Buddhism in South India is found in the Girnar rock-edict of Ashoka, known for building hospitals in the Chola and Pandya regions. The Buddhist legacy of Amaravati and Nagajunakonda further points at an increasing contact of Buddhist worshippers and patronage of art practices in South India. The bronze sculpture of Shakyamuni Buddha throws light on the continued legacy of this Buddhist tradition. An unusually seated figure of Buddha marks a departure from the lotus posture (padmasana) and thunderbolt posture (vajrasana) prototypes of seated figures. He sits in the pendant posture (bhadrasana) on a low-rise throne. This type of posture is also seen in Thai and Khmer sculptures as early as 8th century CE.