Standing Buddha

South Asia, 2ndcentury, Kushan
From ancient Gandhara, Takht-i-Bahi, North West Frontier Province, Pakistan
Grey schist
H92 cm
1899.7-15.1

This standing Buddha is from ancient Gandhara, the region around Taxila and Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The area was a major centre of Buddhism under the Kushan rulers. During the time of king Kanishka (c. 126-151), the likely date of this image, the Fourth Council was convened, an event which laid the foundation for the spread of Buddhism into Central Asia and China.