INDIA, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, 1ST CENTURY AD

Mathuran sculpture from the early centuries AD is characterized by exuberant abundance. The Great Stupa at Sanchi, originally erected in the reign of Ashoka and housing the relics of the Buddha, was greatly elaborated in the 1st century BC with large toranas resplendent with narrative scenes and yakshis. Stylistically, the present work is very similar to the yakshis at Sanchi, although it likely dates from a century or two later, in the Kushan period. The concept of the yakshi significantly predates Buddhism and represents fecundity - as such, they are often shown pressing their ankles into the trunks of trees heavily laden with fruit. Unusually, the present work has the addorsed yakshis leaning against a large wheel, perhaps Buddha's Wheel of Law (dharmachakra). If it indeed represents the dharmachakra, the current example blends icons of the older animist spirits with the more recently developed Buddhist faith.