Standing Buddha

An aesthetically superb example of Gupta art, the standing Buddha holds with his left hand one end of the robe which closely fits the body. The right hand is in abhaya mudra suggesting quelling of fear and promising assurance and protection. The transparent drapery, the drooping eyes, the trivali marks of mahapurusha on the neck and, above all, the arrangement of the hair in small curls are features common to all the figures of the Sarnath School of the Gupta art. The delicately carved nimbus of lotus creeper motif behind the head, however, has largely broken off. The crease-less robe of the Sarnath School differentiates it from the Mathura type, where the folds are prominent. A feature that is restricted to the Gupta period is the webbed fingers of the Buddha. This mahapurusha lakshana is seen here.