Studies in Indian Art c12.s3.t2.5

c12.s3.t2.5

This image is illustrated by Dr. Coomaraswamy in his History of Indian and Indonesian Art, plate XXI, fig. 78. It is wrongly described as Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara on p. 233 of that book. Dr. Coomaraswamy published it again as fig. 17 in his well known essay entitled 'The Origin of the Buddha Image' [The Art Bulletin, 1927], where the figure is correctly identified as Bodhisattva Maitreya (p. 38). Even if the miniature figure of the spiritual Buddha in the crest of the crown were absent, this image would easily be identified as Maitreya on account of the presence of the amṛita vase, which is invariably associated with Maitreya in Kushāṇa art (Cf. Maitreya Images, A. 43, A. 68, in Dr. Vogel's Catalogue]. The abhayamudrā of the right hand of the Dhyāni Buddha, however, leads additional confirmation to the identification, and according to the table given before, the Dhyāni Buddha should be called Amoghasiddhi. That the cult of the Dhyāni Buddha in respect to Maitreya had been established as early as the second century A.D. during the Kushāṇa period is proved beyond doubt by this image.