Ushnisha Vijaya

Bihar, 11th century
Indian Museum, Calcutta

To show the extremes of metaphysics in Mahayana art, this sculpture personifies the Buddha's topknot (ushnisha = topknot, vijaya = victory), which by this time was considered to symbolize the Great Teacher's spiritual wisdom. Stylistically, the sculpture is an example of the period of transition from Pala to Sena rule in Bihar, which occurred sometime around the late 11th century.