Figure of standing Bodhisattva, possibly Siddhartha
Medium:Carved grey schist
Geography: Gandhara, Pakistan
Date: 3rd century AD
Period: Kushan Period
Dimensions:122.6 x 45.7 cm
Object number: 939.17.8
Credit Line: This purchase was made possible with the support of The Reuben Wells Leonard Bequest Fund
Gallery Location:Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery
DescriptionThe ROM's collection contains three remarkable large standing bodhisattvas. In Gandhara, bodhisattvas were depicted in the finery of Indian princes. This figure is thought by some scholars to represent Prince Siddhartha before he became the Buddha. His headdress shows Surya, the Vedic Sun God, in his horse-drawn chariot. The inclusion of non-Buddhist imagery shows how early Buddhism expressed enlightenment through visual language that was accessible to a wide population
