The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Dark grey schist rock carved with a scene of Siddhartha, a man wearing a rippling robe, his hair in a bun, and a halo behind his head, standing beside a tree, branches and leaves clustered in a circle atop. An altar stands at the tree's base, a figure with their head and arms broken off rising from it and another, also heavily chipped, kneeling facing Siddhartha below. People gather either side, particularly on our right.

Siddhartha at the Bodhi Tree

100s–200s CE

Pakistan, Gandhara

schist
Overall: 73.7 x 57.2 cm (29 x 22 1/2 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1997.151
Location: 242A Ancient India

Description

The tree under which the Buddha reached enlightenment marks the center of the composition. It had been under worship by local villagers, for it was known to be the residence of a nature divinity, who here emerges from the tree and altar to praise the Buddha. The altar itself is covered with kusha grass used in the context of sacrificial offerings. At the base of the altar, the earth goddess has risen from the ground and kneels before him in reverence.
  • ?–1997
    (Bodhicitta, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1997–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Kurita, Isao 栗田功. Gandhāran art [ガンダ-ラ美術 = Gandāra bijutsu]. Tōkyō: Nigensha, 1988. Mentioned and Reproduced: vol. 1, p. 113, fig. 218
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Major African Sculpture, Recent Mark Tansey Painting, and Other Works of Art Enter CMA Collection,” September 16, 1997, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Czuma, Stanislaw. “East Meets West”, Members Magazine, Cleveland Museum of Art, May 1998. archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 201
    Sengupta, Arputha Rani. Buddhist Jewels in Mortuary Cult: Magic Symbols.
    Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 2019. Reproduced: Vol. 2, P. 314, fig. 6.27; mentioned: vol. 2, P. 315-316
  • {{cite web|title=Siddhartha at the Bodhi Tree|url=false|author=|year=100s–200s CE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1997.151