Panel from a Portable Shrine: The Descent of the Buddha from Trayastrimsha Heaven

India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir),

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 237

This diminutive panel depicts the Buddha’s descent from Trayastrimsha heaven, where he visited to preach the Buddhist gospel (dharma) to his mother, who had died soon after his birth. The three steps below his feet indicate the ladder upon which he descended. This miracle was widely depicted in the early Buddhist world. Here, umbrella and flywhisk bearers attend the Buddha, while airborne celebrants present garlands.

Panel from a Portable Shrine: The Descent of the Buddha from Trayastrimsha Heaven, Ivory with traces of color, India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir),

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Panel from a Portable Shrine: The Descent of the Buddha from Trayastrimsha Heaven, Ivory with traces of color, India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir),
Panel from a Portable Shrine: The Descent of the Buddha from Trayastrimsha Heaven, Ivory with traces of color, India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir),

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