- Title
- Buddha Shakyamuni with Indra and Brahma
- Date Made
- 1st-2nd century
- Medium
- Gray schist
- Dimensions
- 6 1/2 x 8 5/8 x 2 1/8 in. (16.51 x 21.9 x 5.39 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.84.225.1
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
The small stele, originally part of an architectural embellishment, represents the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (traditionally dated to 563–483 BCE) seated on a platform covered by a grass mat shortly after his Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Bihar. He is flanked on his left by the turbaned Indra, the chief of the gods, and on his right by the ascetic Brahma, the god of creation. They had visited the Buddha shortly after his Enlightenment to entreat him to preach the Buddhist Dharma. Flying celestials above them herald the auspicious event. The Corinthian column at the right is a dividing motif between episodes in the narrative reliefs.
- Selected Bibliography
- Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
- Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.
