2-748-337 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Worshippers Giving Offerings to the Bodhi Tree, 100s. Early Buddhism depicted Buddha using symbols such as the bodhi tree, the royal umbrella, his throne, or an imprint of his feet. Here, the scene shows three figures worshiping the bodhi tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment. The relief comes from the stupa of Amaravati, a monument decorated with images of Buddha and scenes from his previous lives. The stupa no longer exists, and sculptures of this style are rare because they were recovered from the site after the monument had crumbled. During Sherman Lee's tenure as the museum's director (1958-83), only a handful of Amaravati sculptures came onto the market, and he keenly acquired this distinguished example. The museum is one of the few institutions to acquire such a sculpture; individual carvings found on the site are now almost all in the collections of the British Museum and the Madras Museum in India.