Eight Great Events Stele

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This stele depicts the sacred locations that mark the eight great events in the life of the historical Buddha. It is a visual expression of the Astamahapratiharya text, composed in the early Pala period, which extols the merits of pilgrimage to the Buddha’s principal sacred sites, shown here. The sites were understood to define the sacred geography of Buddhist India.

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