Reclining Buddha

Manuha, Pagan
11th-13th century

In order to illustrate the reclining Buddha, artists simply took the form of the standing Buddha and tipped it on its side. This accounts for the stiff legs and other oddities of this posture, which represents the Buddha's parinirvana. Canonically, the reclining Buddha lies on his right side facing north.

The statue in this photo, while original, has obviously been repainted many times over the course of almost 1,000 years. A closeup of Buddha's face illustrates the long nose and pointed chin that date this statue to the 11th century.