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Buddha in Meditation

6th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This sculpture is the most complete surviving Buddha from the ancient city of Sri Ksetra, and it bears the longest Sanskrit inscription discovered there. It was excavated from the foundations of a large stupa. The Buddha seated in meditation is reminiscent of Buddha imagery from Sri Lanka, a center of Buddhist learning throughout the first millennium. The use of Sanskrit along with Pyu in the inscription suggests strong connections with northern Indian Buddhism, and the script has its closest parallels in a newly deciphered copperplate inscription from eastern Bengal (Bangladesh) dated 502.

cat. no. 41

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Buddha in Meditation
  • Date: 6th century
  • Culture: Central Myanmar
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: H. 22 7/16 in. (57 cm); W. 20 1/4 in. (51.5 cm); D. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm); Weight 184 lbs. (83.5 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Thiri Khittaya (Śrī Ksetra) Archaeological Museum, Myanmar (1927–28/2/41)
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art