The Mandalay Period represents the
last great cultural flourishing of
Burmese art. The period was named
after the city of Mandalay, which
served as capital of Myanmar for a
brief period (1860-1885 A.D.) during
the reign of King Mindon. After the
Anglo-Burmese Wars, northern Myanmar
was shut off from the coastal areas
that were controlled by the British.
King Mindon founded the new capital at
a sacred site at the foot of a large
hill. The center of the city was
designed in the perfect geometrical
form of a Buddhist Mandala, giving the
city its name. Although this short-
lived kingdom finally fell to the
British forces in 1886 A.D. during the
Third Anglo-Burmese War, the Royal
Guilds that created such remarkable
works of art for the King remained in
the city where they continued to
produce sculptures in the Mandalay
style.
The historical figure, Buddha Gautama
Sakyamuni is the Buddha of compassion
who, having achieved the highest
evolutionary perfection, turns
suffering into happiness for all
living beings. Born around 560 B.C.
somewhere between the hills of south
Nepal and the Rapti river, his father
was a Raja who ruled over the
northeastern province of India, the
district including the holy Ganges
River. The young prince was married to
Yashoda when he was about 17 years old
and together they had a son named
Rahula. At the age of 29, he left his
life of luxury, as he felt compelled
to purify his body and make it an
instrument of the mind by ridding
himself of earthly impulses and
temptations.
This gorgeous marble Buddha is seated
in the dhyanasana position on a low
oval base. With his hands, the Buddha
forms the bhumisparsa mudra, which can
be literally translated as the
“gesture of touching the earth” in
which the Buddha touches the ground in
order to call on the earth to witness
his enlightenment. His flowing
monastic robes wrap around his body
and fall in elegant waves over his
legs and onto the base. An ushnisha
crowns his head. This bump is symbolic
of the Buddha’s enlightened wisdom
and cosmic openness.
