Buddha in bhumisparsa mudra

Seated on a lotus placed on a circular palain pedestal the
Buddha in bhumisparsa mudra is having a smiling
countenance. The most notable feature of the image is seen
in his outfit which includes a helmet, ear guards, and armour
with cross-belt, wrist and arm bands. This figure most
probably represents the Buddha as a Nat deity. The cult of
the Nats was very popular with the people of Myanmar
before the advent of Buddhism in that country. At a later
stage the Buddha was admitted as the thirty-seventh Nat in
the list of Nat deities.