
Oliver White
Head of Department


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Head of Department
During the Pala-Sena period (8th to 12th century), Buddhism thrived in Bihar and Bengal in northeast India. According to inscriptions and monks' journals, the Pala kings established Buddhist monasteries as well as supported Hindu temples. The region has a strong tradition of Shakyamuni imagery. When the Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, he called the earth to witness his resolve by placing his hand pointing downward (bhumisparshamudra). This scene will occasionally include an image below him of the earth goddess, Prithvi, wringing her long hair causing floods and earthquakes to occur terrifying demons.
Pala and Sena sculpture consists primarily of steles, such as this one, which were set into niches in a larger building. Approximately eighty extant dated images have allowed art historians the means to establish a chronology for the work.
An example is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Helen and Alice Colburn Fund Accession number: 24.153).