Famous Temples in India

Architecture

The Mahabodhi Temple Complex is one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Buddha and particularly to the attainment of Enlightenment. The site of the Mahabodhi Temple provides exceptional records for the events associated with the life of Buddha and subsequent worship. Mahabodhi Temple is constructed of brick and is one of the oldest brick structures to have survived in eastern India. It is considered to be a fine example of Indian brickwork and was highly influential in the development of later architectural traditions. According to UNESCO, "the present temple is one of the earliest and most imposing structures built entirely in brick from the Gupta period" (300–600 C.E.). Mahabodhi Temple's central tower rises 55 meters and was heavily renovated in the 19th century. The central tower is surrounded by four smaller towers, constructed in the same style. The Mahabodhi statue bears an inscription of Maharaja Tulcamdla or Turamdla dated in the Samvat year 64, which is referred to the Seleukidan era, would give the year 152 A.D., in the middle of the reign of the Indo-Scythian king, Huvishka. It is therefore, about the same age as the Indo-Grecian sculptures of Gandhara. 

GREAT TEMPLE OF MAHABODHI - This description of the Mahabodhi Temple, as it stood in A.D. 637, tallies so closely with the Great Temple as it now stands, there can be no reasonable doubt that it is despite all its repairs and alterations, the same building which was described by the Chinese pilgrim, as will be seen by the following comparison.

• The dimensions of the two Temples are the same, the present building being 48 feet square at its base and between 160 and 170 feet in height. In 1861 measurement of its height, in its broken state was 160 feet from the floor of the chamber to the top of the ruined pinnacle. It is now after repair of the pinnacle upwards of 170 feet.
• It is built of bluish bricks with a coating of plaster.
• The four faces present several tiers of niches, rising one above the other each of which, no doubt, once held a Buddhist figure. Only three figures remained.
• The entrance on the eastern side was certainly an addition to the original building, as its courses of bricks, did not correspond with those of the main body of the Temple.

But the discoveries made during the removal of the ruinous buttresses on the west side or back, of the building were more decisive of the antiquity of the main body of the Temple. On this west face, there was a row of 13 niches, each containing a Buddhist figure. Five of these niches were hidden by the addition of the great central buttress, but their statues, their moldings, and their ornaments, were all left untouched. As the concealed statues were all of the Gupta style of sculpture. At a still later period two additional small buttresses were added, one on each side of the central buttress. As each of these covered two niches, there remained in view only two niches of the original wall on each side. The back wall of the original Temple, with its line of 13 niches. In the central niche and the first niche is seen as a figure of the Vajrasan Buddha, seated under the Bodhi Tree, with an attendant holding a chauri on each side of him. It still bore traces of red color when uncovered. This figure, and those in the two niches on each side, are parts of the original work, which was afterward completely concealed by the addition of the great central buttress. The figures in these niches are quite different in style from those in the other niches and the brackets of the moldings above them are also quite different. These differences can be observed of the main work of the central buttress for the moldings of Lions' heads on the central buttress instead of plain square blocks, as on the main building immediately behind the buttress. There will be seen a second statue of the Vajrasan Buddha, with his two attendants, in the niche immediately above the central niche. The object of placing these figures over the center of the back wall must have been to show that here was the famous Vajrasan Throne.

Accordingly, right under the figure of Buddha there was found, placed against the wall, a polished Vajrasan Throne of grey sandstone, 7 feet 10 inches long by 4 feet 12 inches broad, and 6 inches thick. The whole surface was carved with geometrical patterns, circular in the middle, with a double border of squares. All the four outer faces of the slab were richly carved with pigeons and the conventional acanthus flowers and the geese of Asoka's Pillar Capitals. As the back edge of the slab, which abutted against the wall, was also carved, it would seem that it did not occupy its original position and it is believed that it must once have formed the upper slab of the Sandstone Throne which was found inside Asoka's Temple. This outer Vajrasan slab rested on a brick platform 3 feet 4 inches in height, which was ornamented with boldly molded figures of men and lions of very early work. On removing the plaster facing of the inner Vajrasan Throne there was discovered in the middle of the front face and just below the sandstone floor and resting on the upper plastered floor, a ball of stiff earth or clay, which on being broken yielded the following relics.

• Gold - Two impressions in thin gold of the obverse face of a gold coin of Huvishka, joined together and held by a ring, 1 Crescent of thin gold, 6 inch broad. 4 Flowers, 0.75 inches with a pale sapphire in the center of each. 3 Shells, 6 inch long 4 Kamarak fruits, 0.2 inch broad 5 Buttons or knobs, 0.45 inch broad 26 large discs, 37.5 grains or 1.44 each 29 small discs and 11 grains.
• Silver - Five punch-marked coins, one with human figures, besides many small shapeless fragments like 1 thin hemisphere, 27 large discs and 14 small discs.
• Gems - 145 small Pearls all black with age. Corals and about 3 Table spoons of bits and several coral shell ornaments. Crystal all uncut Sapphires, Rubies and Emeralds.

Another corroboration of this date is derived from an inscription on the the pedestal of a statue of Buddha which was found near a small ruined Temple close to the South gate of the Bailing of the Great Temple. The early date of this statue is attested by the unmistakeable Indo-Scythian or Gupta style of the letters and sculptures but as the inscription is dated in the Samvat year 64 and the record is worded in the the usual form of the Indo-Scythian inscriptions found at Mathura, there is no doubt that it belongs to the 2nd century of the Christian era. In another place there are reasons for reckoning the dates of Indo-Scythian inscriptions by the Seleukidan era, by omitting the hundreds. In the present case, the date of 64 would represent 464 of the Seleukidan era, equivalent to 152 A.D., which, as it agrees with the ascertained dates of Huvishka's reign may be accepted as the actual date of the building of the Temple in which the statue was enshrined.

BODHI TREE - The earliest description of the famous Pipal Tree under which Sakya Sinha sat for six years until he obtained emancipation is given by Hwen Thsang. He says, The Bodhi Tree above the everlasting Throne is the same as the Pipal Tree. In the old days when Buddha was alive, it was several hundred feet high. Although it has often been injured by cutting, it still is 40 or 50 feet in height. Buddha sitting under this tree reached perfect wisdom and therefore it is called the ' Tree of Knowledge ' [Bodhi- druma]. The bark is of a yellowish-white color, the leaves, and the twigs of a dark green. It was the custom in his time to bathe the roots with scented water and perfumed milk is witnessed to the present day. 

The Bodhi Tree was first cut down by Asoka himself and on its miraculous restoration, it was again cut down by Asoka's Queen. Once more it was miraculously restored and the pilgrim makes no further mention of its destruction until the time of Raja Sasangka, who cut it down and dug up the roots. He then burnt it with fire and sprinkled it with the juice of the sugar cane, desiring to destroy it entirely and not leave a trace of it behind. Some months afterward Raja Purna Yarma revived the roots of the Tree with the milk of a thousand cows and in a single night it sprang up again to a height of 10 feet. Then fearing that the Tree might once more be cut down, Purna Varma surrounded it with a wall of stone 24 feet in height which in Hwen Thsang's time was still about 20 feet high. This restoration must have taken place about A.D. 600 to 620, after the power of Sasangka, had been humbled by Harsha Vardhana. Mr. Beglar agree in thinking that the surrounding of the Tree with this high wall refers to the placing of the new Tree on the terrace of the Temple, which is rather more than 30 feet above the original ground level. The next description of the Tree is that given by Dr. Buchanan in 1811. He says, The Tree is in full vigor and cannot in all probability exceed 100 years in age but a similar one may have existed in the same place when the Temple was entire. This Tree is very much decayed one large stem to the westward, with three branches, was still green, but the other branches were barkless and rotten. In 1871 and again in 1875, when it had become completely decayed, and shortly afterward, in 1876, the only remaining portion of the Tree fell over the west wall during a storm, and the Old Pipal Tree was gone. Many seeds, however, had been collected, and young scions of the parent tree were already in existence to take its place.

BUDDHA'S WALK - The raised terrace on which Buddha took exercise was one of the commonest monuments at every Buddhist site where Buddha had once lived. The most famous of these promenades' was that near the Bodhi Tree of Uruvilwa, where Buddha walked for seven days from east to west. This famous pathway was called "Ghanlcramana Ghaitya" or in Pali, Chanhamo. This cloistered walk which still exists close to the north side of the Temple is a simple brick wall, 53 feet long, 3 feet 6 inches broad, and a little more than 3 feet in height. On each side, there is a row of 11 Persepolitan Pillar-bases of the well-known pattern of a vase placed above three or four steps and surmounted by a parabolic molding with an octagonal top for the reception of an octagonal shaft. Bach of these bases was marked with a separate letter of the Asoka alphabet, the 11 bases on the south side bearing the 11 vowels a, a, i, i, u, u, e, ai, o, au, ah and the northern bases, the first 11 consonants h, hh, g, gh, ng, ch, chh, j, jh, ny, t. The Walk itself was still visible in Hwen Thsang's time (A.D. 640) but the pillar bases were then covered by a plastered terrace. The southern row of these bases was partly hidden under the basement of the Great Temple which had been built over them, on a slightly different alignment, part of the two most westerly bases alone appearing 7 inches outside the wall, while all the easterly bases were completely covered. As these Pillar-bases showed that the Walk had once been roofed over and it was fortunate enough to light upon an octagonal shaft with a female figure on it, which had been brought to light by Mr. Beglar's excavations. On measuring the bottom of the shaft and was delighted to find that it was of the same dimensions as the recessed tops of the bases. The westerly base of the southern row, which bore the Asoka letter A, was therefore extracted, and when the octagonal shaft was set upon it, it was found to fit so exactly that there could be no doubt that the two pieces belonged to the same Pillar.

TORAN GATEWAY - At 78 feet to the east of the Great Temple and 54 feet from the Bluestone Railing, there was formerly a massive Toran Gateway. The south Torana was the main entrance in the ancient times as this was the earliest Torana built as evident from the Ashoka pillar. It was a custom, in the ancient times, to install a pillar at the site where a stupa needs to be constructed. The shafts of the pillars are 14 feet high, 2 feet 1 inch square at the base and 1 foot 3 inches square at the top. The bracket capitals had a square center of 15 inches, With two oblong branches, and two short branches of 1 inches. They were 16 inches in height, thus making the clear height of the Toran nearly 17 feet. The pillar capitals have four lions, seated back to back and supporting the square abacus above their heads on which architraves are supported. This gateway was reconstructed by Major Cole in 1882-83 in which the whole jamb of the left pillar and half of the right pillar was replaced with new along with all uprights and ends of lowest and middle architrave. During this reconstruction the architraves were put in opposite direction that more important sculptures now face the stupa rather than facing outwards. The top panel on the front (south) face of the west pillar represents the first sermon of Buddha delivered in Mrigadava (Deer Park) at Sarnath. A tapered pillar supports a dharma-chakra (wheel of law), the emblem of Buddha’s first sermon, having 32 spokes, and the same number of tri-Ratna symbols. Deer near the base of this pillar provides a hint in identifying the panel with the first sermon of Buddha. The middle panel illustrates Ashoka’s visit to a stupa. It shows a chariot driven by two horses and followed by a retinue. An elephant is also seen behind the chariot. The panel below shows many figures including those of Shakra and Shachi riding an elephant while on an adjacent elephant another female is riding with a child. There are other elephants with riders as well. There is a horse rider below with many dwarfs of the army of Mara. The top panel on the east face of the west pillar shows a shrine with a vaulted roof with chaitya windows in front. The shrine has six pillars, three on each side, with an empty throne in the middle. The throne has three tri-ranta motifs on top. A tree emerges from the roof of this shrine. Above the tree is an umbrella with two chhatras. The whole shrine is enclosed within a vedica rail. The panel represents the temple constructed by Ashoka around a scared tree in Bodh-Gaya. The lower panel shows the king Asoka stands with his two queens. The panel below has many figures depicted in it. There is a chaitya shrine, with a vaulted roof and a chaitya window in front, under which many people are shown assembled. It represents the Traystrimisha heaven, the Heaven of Thirty-three Gods, where Shakra lives with the rest of the gods. They worship Buddha hair and his chuda (headdress). The top of the front architrave depicts a nativity scene representing the birth of Buddha. 

After the Mahaparinirvana (death) of Buddha, the Mallas, rulers of Kushinagar, took possession of Buddha’s body relics after his cremation. However there were seven other claimants of these relics. These were 1) Ajatashatru of Rajagriha, 2) The Shakyas of Kapilvastu, 3) The Bulis of Alakappa, 4) The Koliyas of Ramagrama , 5) The Mallas of Pava , 6) The Lichchhavis of Vaisahli and 7) A Brahmana of Vethadvipa. A wise brahmana, Drona, pacified all and divided the share into eight equal parts. All the eight claimants took their part and erected stupas in their cities. The fortified city of Kushinagar is depicted in the middle with a trench around it. The city is under siege as a large army can be seen standing outside the city. This army has horses, elephants, foot-soldiers, etc equipped with various arms and flags. Archers can be seen on the upper stories of the buildings inside the city. Graphical details of this panel surpass all other similar themes found in India. As per an inscription on it, it was carved by the ivory carvers of Vidisha.

MONUMENTS IN COURTYARD - All the principal monuments that now remain are marked in the accompanying plate by letters of the alphabet, which generally give the initial of the name of the building. Several of them have been identified from their positions with those described by Hwen Thsang. A few are known by the inscriptions which have been found in them, but the greater number of the smaller Temples and Stupas are unknown. Many of the Stupas contained clay seals, but only a few yielded anything that could help to declare their age. One of them, which contained a copper coin of Raja Pasupati, King of Nepal, must have been built about A.D. 300 to 400. These monuments with those that are mentioned by Hwen Thsang, adhering to the order in which he places them. are the basements of two old Temples to the right and left of the eastern entrance of the Temple. These are the remains of the two Temples containing the two figures of Avalokiteswara both seated and looking eastwards. At the time of the pilgrim's visit the southern and right-hand figure was buried up to the breast and old people then said that as soon as the figures of this Bodhisatwa sink in the ground and disappear, the law of Buddha will come to an end. The fact that the south figure was then buried up to the breast shows that the sand which had covered the Vajrasan on the west side had also spread to the east, silver statues of Avalokiteswara and Maitreya in two niches to the right and left of the outside door. The lower part of these niches remained intact down to the present time. The statues were 10 feet high and were made of white silver, a fact which would have ensured their early disappearance.

MONUMENTS OUTSIDE THE WALLS - At the present day there are few traces of buildings more than half a mile distant on any side, but within this range there remain several fine tanks. All of these tanks are surrounded by earthen mounds, which are probably concealed the remains of many of the monuments described by the pilgrim. Outside the south gate of the Bodhi Tree enclosure, there was a great tank, about 700 paces, or 1,750 feet, in circuit. This was the pond that was dug by the two "Brahman brothers" this is beyond all doubt the fine tank 400 feet south of the Great Temple, which is now called Buddhokar or Buddha Pohhar. It still retains the same dimensions as in the time of Hwen Thsang. Its northern bank is permanently defined by a long wall with ornamented niches, and steps leading down to the water. To the west of this tank, there was a large stone, which Indra brought from the Snowy Mountains, when Buddha wished to dry his clothes after bathing. To the east of the tank created by Indra for Buddha to bathe in and in the midst of a wood was the tank of Muchilinda, King of the Nagas.

MONASTERY OF MAHABODHI-SANGHARAMA - The building next in importance to the Great Temple was the Mahabodhi Sangharama. The earliest mention of it is by Fa Hian in A.D. 409, who says, "at the place where Buddha attained perfect wisdom there are three monasteries, all inhabited by priests''. It had pavilions three stories high and was surrounded by a wall from 30 to 40 feet in height. It was richly ornamented in red and blue colors and possessed lofty Stiipas containing relics of Buddha. It contained also a statue of Buddha, cast in gold and silver and decorated with gems and precious stones. The lofty walls of the monastery, from 30 to 40 feet in height, would naturally have led to its occupation as a fort after the decline of Buddhism, in the 11th century. The date of Amar Sinhin quite uncertain but as he is said to have been a Suir, or aboriginal Savara, It is concluded that he must have held power before the rise of the Pala Rajas, in 800 A.D. Other buildings at the north-east corner are also called Ranivas or the "Rani's Palace". Perhaps these names may refer to the period of Amar Sinh's rule. The mound is from 1,500 to 2,000 feet in length from west to east and nearly 1,000 feet in breadth from north to south. The land of the mound still retains the general name of Mahabodhi. Here, in November 1885, Mr. Beglar discovered the remains of a great monastery, with outer walls 9 feet thick, and massive round towers at the four corners. The enclosure which surrounded the monastery had already been traced by Mr. Beglar, at a distance of about 100 feet all around. One tower of this enclosure is still standing on the west side in an old Muhammadan burial ground, and the outer line of wall with the south-west tower is still traceable. There were four towers at the four corners and three intermediate towers on each side making a total of 16 towers. The plan of the monastery is laid out after the usual Hindu fashion in a diagram of squares. The plan consists of 36 squares, six on each side of which the four corner squares are assigned to the corner towers and the four middle squares to open pillared court containing a well. 

In the middle of the east and west sides there is an extension equal to two squares, each extension forming one large room. On the north and south sides there is a small extension, each forming a single small room, which was only accessible from the inside. The open courtyard in the middle was surrounded by a cloister supported on pillars, of which several bases were found in situ. On all four sides of the cloister, there were small groups of cells, arranged as shown in the plan. On the north and south sides the center cells led into the small rooms, which were outside the mainline of the wall. The remaining chambers on the ground floor could not have accommodated more than 16 monks. A second story might have held 20 more and if there had been a third story the whole number of cells would not have held more than 56 monks. It is concluded therefore, that the lower orders of priests must have been lodged in chambers arranged inside the walls of the surrounding enclosure, which was about 400 feet square. As the wall of this enclosure is said by Hwen Thsang to have been from 30 to 40 feet in height, there may have been three stories of chambers; and, as each side of the enclosure was about 400 feet in length, the whole length of the rows of chambers would have been from 1,500 to .1,600 feet in each story, equal to about 600 apartments. But, as the number of monks is said by Hwen Thsang to have been about 1,000, It is concluded that there must have been other, smaller monasteries on the great mound, the sites of which remain to be discovered.

TEMPLE OF ASHOKA - The old Burmese inscription, which records the successive repairs of the Temple, assigns the original building to Asoka. According to the inscribed Bharhut Basrelief this Temple of Asoka was an open pavilion supported on pillars. In the middle is seen the Vajrasan Throne, decorated in front with four flat pilasters. Behind the Throne appears the trunk of the Bodhi Tree, which rises high above the building and on each side of the Tree there is a combined symbol of the Tri-Batna and the Dharma-Clialcra, standing on the top of a short pillar. On each side of the Vajrasan room there is a side room of the same style. The top of the Throne is ornamented with flowers but there is no figure of Buddha. The blue stone-facing of the Throne, which stood on this pavement, was therefore carefully removed and the whole of the granite pavement taken up. "When this was done it was found that there was a second Throne behind, with a plaster facing much broken and shattered. Behind this again there was a third Throne of polished sandstone, with four short pilasters in front, exactly as depicted in the Bharhut Basrelief. On removing the whole of the plaster from the sandstone front a very startling discovery was made, which proved unmistakably that the sandstone Throne must be older than the present Temple. This discovery was the fact that the sandstone Throne did not stand on the centerline of the present Temple, its south end being only 20 inches from the south wall of the Chamber while its northern end was as much as 39 inches from the northern wall, the difference being 1 foot 7 inches. Another startling discovery was also made in the fact that the plaster-faced Throne was lengthened at the northern end by 19 inches, to place it exactly in the middle of the present Chamber. Near the north-east corner of the present Chamber a third Persepolitan base was discovered, but not actually in situ, as it had been placed upside down so as to present its broad flat bottom as a part of the pavement. Putting all these discoveries together and comparing them with the view of Asoka's Temple, preserved in the Bharhut Basrelief. The front view of the Throne is especially striking and when we see that this was flanked by two Pillars of Asoka's age, the resemblance between the existing remains and the sculptured representation seems too close to be accidental.

ASOKA TEMPLE RAILING - The only otter remains of Asoka's time consist of the Pillars, Rail Bars and Copings of the Colonnade or Eailing which once enclosed the Vajrasan Temple. According to Hwen Thsang, Asoka surrounded the holy Pipal Tree with a stone wall 10 feet high. The actual remains of the stone Railing still exist, the only brich portion is the plinth on which the stone Railing stood. These brick remains were all found under the solid basement of the present Temple. As it is already stated, they prove that the circuit of the Railing was as nearly as possible 250 feet, which agrees exactly Avith the number of 100 paces or 250 feet given by Hwen Thsang, if his measurement refers to the Temple of Asoka. The Pillars of the present Railing are proved to have belonged to the original Railing by their inscriptions in Asoka characters, which are also found on the Rail Bars and Copings. The shafts average about 14 inches by 12 inches in section, the corner pillars being perfect squares of 14J inches each side. The average distance from center to center of the pillars was about 3 feet 11 inches and as the existing pieces of plinth foundation show a circuit of from 253 to 255 feet, an arrangement of 64 Pillars would cover 63 spaces plus two half pillars, or just 246 feet 9 inches, leaving an opening of 6 feet to 8 feet for an entrance on the east side. The Gateway openings of the Great Temple are 8 feet 8 inches in clear width. This width corresponds very nearly with that of the Toran Gateway on the east side of the Temple, which is 8 feet 3 inches at the ground level, but as the Toran Pillars have a rapid slope, the clear width at 5 feet is exactly 8 feet 6 inches. Dimensions of the present Railing, the Coping being 1 foot 2 inches, the Pillars 6 feet 8 inches and plinth 2 feet 2 inches, or altogether 9 feet 10 inches in height. Many of the Pillars, Rail Bars and Copings are undoubtedly those of the Asoka Railing, which was re-arranged and its circuit very extensively enlarged to suit the greater dimensions of the surrounding enclosure of the new Temple, which is nearly 530 feet in circuit. 

The inscribed portions of this Railing belonged to the original enclosure of Asoka is quite certain, as the Asoka inscriptions remain on them distinct and legible. It is described and figured several of the coping pieces some years ago.

• A few pieces have since been discovered, of which two bear a new inscription of Asoka's time, as will be noticed presently. The inner faces of the architraves or coping stones are ornamented with long strings of animals, some natural, but others quite fabulous. There are Elephants and Lions, Bulls and Deer, Goats and Sheep, mingled with Winged Horses and Fishtailed Elephants, Lions, and Earns.
• These are accompanied by some weather-worn inscriptions of Indo-Scythian or very early Gupta date, which no doubt belong to the period of the re-arrangement of the Railing after the building of the Great Temple. The outer faces of the coping are ornamented with continuous bands of flowers, and on two pieces there are rather long inscriptions of the Asoka period. 
• The Pillars are decorated after the usual fashion of early Buddhist Railings. On each face at top and bottom there are semicircular medallions, containing half flowers, or small scenes of various kinds.
• In the middle of each one face there is a full circular medallion, which is ornamented in the same manner as the semicircular medallions. On the outer faces of several of these pillars there is a short inscription in Asoka characters, giving the name of the pious donor. The edges of all the middle pillars are beveled. The corner pillars at the Gateways are perfectly square in section, with rectangular panels containing various scenes. 
• The Rail Bars are of the usual double-curved section to tit into the almond-shaped holes in the side of the Pillars. They are ornamented on both faces with full circular bosses or medallions, containing flowers or Kings' busts, or animals, or capitals of Pillars. A few bear short inscriptions in Asoka characters.
• On a single Pillar, which is dug up in 1871 near the southeast corner of the Railing, there is a full-length figure of a Yakshini clinging to a tree, with her right foot supported by a male figure. 
• There is considerable variation in the subjects depicted in these small medallions. It was given in two Plates of their basreliefs, which, though small, are of great interest as they are at least one hundred years older than the basreliefs of the Bharhut Stupa, Amongst them, illustrations of the famous Kalpa-drama, or " wishing tree," of the legend of the Indra-Sdla-Guha, and the story of Anathapindika's purchase of the Jetavana garden at Sravasti.

SCULPTURES - The early Buddhists had no statues of Buddha. He is not once represented in the sculptured bas-reliefs of Bharhut, which date from 150 to 100 B.C., and there is no image of him amongst the numerous scenes of the great Sanchi Stupa. The oldest representations of Buddha are found on the coins of the Indo- Scythian king, Kanishka, about A.D. 100. But the art of sculpture was certainly known and practiced by the Hindus as early as the time of Asoka, as the old Buddhist Railing of the Mahabodhi Temple, with its inscriptions in Asoka characters, not only ornamented with numerous sculptured medallions but also with a full-length figure of a Yakshini climbing a tree, with her right foot supported by a seated Yaksha below. The single remaining pillar of the canopy of Buddha's walk also bears a full-length female figure of half life-size and as both the shaft and the base of this pillar were marked with the Asoka letter ''A'', whilst other bases are marked with other Asoka characters, there can be no doubt that this sculpture must belong to the 3rd century B.C. Amongst the Mathura sculptures there are many representations of Buddha, most of which belong to the 2nd century A.D., during the reigns of the Indo-Scythian princes Kanishka, Huvishka, and Vasu Deva, whose inscriptions are found on the pedestals of the sculptures. Several of the Mathura statues of Buddha are of colossal size, ranging from 9 to 12 feet in height. It is worthy of note that the stone of which this statue is made is a sandstone like that of Mathura and not from a local quarry. The nearest sandstone of this kind occurs near Sahsaram to the west of the Son River.