Meditating Buddha Attended by Two Bodhisattvas

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Buddha sits in a posture of meditation (dhyana mudra) with his head framed by a flaming halo. Both of the flanking bodhisattvas hold their right hands in the boon-giving varada mudra. The Buddha sits on a throne supported by two fragmentary lions similar to those found in metal images made for the Patola Shahi rulers of the kingdom of Gilgit. Two figures in the lower corners are likely the donors of this relief. Devotional images, such as this one, are most widely preserved as rock-cut reliefs on boulders along the highways of the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art