Such Buddha images were found in great numbers in the public sacred precincts of Gandhara. The Buddha’s right hand, now damaged, would have been held in abhaya mudra, a gesture of approachability. He wears the robes of a monk, but his urna (the dot on his forehead) and his extended earlobes denote his status as the Buddha. On the base of the sculpture is a seated figure of Maitreya, the Buddha of the future, who is being venerated by a man and woman who are likely the donors of this image.
