Skip to Content
Today Open today 11–5

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Buddha Shakyamuni Meditating in the Indrashala Cave [top] and Buddha Dipankara [bottom]

A work made of schist.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of schist.

Date:

2nd/3rd century

Artist:

Pakistan
Ancient region of Gandhara

About this artwork

The upper register of this narrative frieze depicts the historical Buddha Shakyamuni serenely seated in meditation in the Indrashala cave. When Indra, the king of the gods, visits him there, the Buddha delivers a sermon that converts him to Buddhism, while acolytes fold their hands in veneration. The lower panel portrays the story of Sumati from the Dipankara jataka, a tale of one of the Buddha’s former lives. Sumati, a wealthy Brahmin turned renunciant, lies face down spreading his matted hair out across a puddle so that the Buddha Dipankara would not have to soil his feet. Dipankara subsequently prophesies Sumati’s rebirth as the future Buddha Shakyamuni.

Status

On View, Gallery 140

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Buddha Shakyamuni Meditating in the Indrashala Cave [top] and Buddha Dipankara [bottom]

Place

Gandhara (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

101 CE–300 CE

Medium

Schist

Dimensions

60 × 37.1 × 7.3 cm (23 5/8 × 14 5/8 × 2 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Marilynn B. Alsdorf

Reference Number

2015.447

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/151081/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms