- Title
- Votive Model of the Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, India
- Date Made
- 12th century
- Medium
- Black schist
- Dimensions
- 4 5/8 x 1 5/8 x 2 1/4 in. (11.75 x 4.13 x 5.72 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.91.62
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, marks the site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment. It was founded in the 5th century and has undergone several restorations. Numerous replicas are found throughout the Buddhist world. They range from huge temples to small votive models that would have been acquired by religious pilgrims as a sacred memento of their visit to Bodh Gaya and could also serve as a meditational focus for Buddhists unable to journey to the original monument.
The architectural registers of this model feature Buddhas in different attitudes, stupas, and scenes from the life of Buddha. In the rear of the temple behind the superstructure is a representation of the bodhi (pipal) tree under which the Buddha meditated. A descendant of the original tree still marks the holy site.
A comparable votive model of the Mahabodhi Temple is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IS.21-1986).
- 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.
