Figure of standing Bodhisattva, possibly Siddhartha

The ROM's collection contains three remarkable large standing bodhisattvas. In Gandhara, bodhisattvas were depicted in the finery of Indian princes. This figure is thought by some scholars to represent Prince Siddhartha before he became the Buddha. His headdress shows Surya, the Vedic Sun God, in his horse-drawn chariot. The inclusion of non-Buddhist imagery shows how early Buddhism expressed enlightenment through visual language that was accessible to a wide population.