Buddha Shakyamuni Seated in Meditation (Dhyanamudra)

Chola period, about 12th century

Seated in a posture called the lotus, this serene 12th-century Buddha rests his hands and feet atop one another as he gazes downward, his eyelids lowered, the touch of a smile on his lips. The symbols that distinguish him as a great being—such as the urna on his forehead and ushnisha on top of his head—are delicately carved in the hard granite.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

India Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu

Date

Chola period, about 12th century

Medium

Granite

Dimensions

160 × 120.2 × 56.3 cm (63 × 47 5/16 × 22 3/16 in.)

Origin

Nagapattinam

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Andrew Brown