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.
