FEMALE NARRATOR:
In this panel the Buddha, watched by divine attendants, approaches the Bodhi tree where he will ultimately obtain enlightenment. He will sit beneath the tree, declaring:
ACTOR:
“I will not rise from this position on the earth until I have obtained my utmost aim.”
FEMALE NARRATOR:
The Buddha holds grass in his left hand to lay on the seat where previous Buddhas have attained enlightenment, and opens his right palm in the gesture of reassurance.
Such ancient narrative panels, from Gandhara in present-day Pakistan, are often filled with rows of figures. Here, only some of them can be identified – including Vajrapani, the Buddha’s companion and protector, who stands to the left holding a thunderbolt in the form of a bone.
The princely couple pointing to the seat beneath the tree probably represent Mara, god of desire, and his wife. Determined to prevent his enlightenment, they try to distract the Buddha from his goal. Just beyond the column, you can see fragments of Mara’s grotesque followers.
This relief was carved in a region comprising today’s northern Pakistan and southern Afghanistan, where an eclectic school of art mixed elements from Central Asia and India. The naturalistic poses, sensitivity to anatomy and the form of the column itself echo forms of the classical Mediterranean world, which were introduced to India around the second century A.D.
Buddha Approaching the Bodhi Tree
2nd-3rd century
Asia: Pakistan; Asia: Gandhara
On View
This panel depicts the Buddha’s selection of the tree under which he will meditate and ultimately achieve enlightenment. After approaching but declining a mango tree, the Buddha chooses the fig tree (Ficus religiosa). The fig tree became known as the bodhi tree because the Buddha reached enlightenment (bodhi) after meditating beneath one such tree for 49 days. A handsome couple stands opposite the Buddha, gesturing him towards the grass covered seat beneath the bodhi tree.
Details
- Title: Buddha Approaching the Bodhi Tree
- Date: 2nd-3rd century
- Medium: Schist
- Dimensions: 16-1/2 x 18-1/2 x 3-1/4 in. (41.9 x 44 x 8.3 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1975.14.5.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
- Kurita, Isao, Gandharan Art, 1988,
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, fig. 12, no. 26 pp. 20, 58-59
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1203 p. 382
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