A sandstone relief of the Buddha seated in padmasana, his hands in dharmachakra pravartana mudra, turning the wheel of the dharma at his first sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath. A carved dharma wheel flanked by two reclining deer sits below the throne with five small disciples and a kneeling woman and child, and an ornate circular halo above is crowded with flying devas bearing flower trays, the throne itself flanked by mythical makara and vyala beasts. Carved by the local Sarnath school of sculpture during the Gupta period, around 475 CE, it was excavated south of the Dhamek Stupa during the 1904 to 1905 season by F.O. Oertel for the Archaeological Survey of India and has been displayed at the Archaeological Museum, Sarnath since the museum opened in 1910. It is widely described as one of the most famous single representations of the Buddha in Asian art.
Facts
Origins
CreationSourced to the subject's own account Date of CreationSourced to the subject's own accountAbout 475 CE, Gupta period 1 CountrySourced to the subject's own account Custody
Current LocationSourced to the subject's own accountArchaeological Museum, Sarnath, India 1 Current CustodianSourced to the subject's own accountArchaeological Survey of India 1 Rights and Reproduction
Reproduction and CopyrightThe relief itself is far past any copyright term, but a specific modern photograph of it carries its own separate copyright. This atlas describes and cites the work rather than reproducing an image of it. 2 Physical Form
MediumSourced to the subject's own accountCarved sandstone relief 1 Dimensions160 cm (5 ft 3 in) tall 2 Subject Matter
Depicted SubjectGautama Buddha delivering his first sermon, the turning of the wheel of dharma, to his first five disciples at the Deer Park in Sarnath. 2 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Belongs to Tradition
Depicts
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