On The Antiquity of Nepalese Metalcraft: The Buddha of Guita Bahi

Figure 17: Standing Buddha
Nepal, circa 8th century
Stone
265 cm
International Meditation Centre
Śaṅkhamūla, Patan

"On 18th October, 1987, a life-size stone sculpture (1.72 m) depicting Maitreya was found in the sand of the Bāgmatī River, about 300 m to the west of Śaṅkhamūl, the confluence of the Bāgmatī and Manoharā (rivers)." Gail, Adalbert J., 1990, p. 91. The Buddha was originally in several pieces but was eventually skillfully restored and set up in this small shrine on the grounds of the International Buddhist Meditation Centre. Photo Ian Alsop, July 30, 2010

Details: see thumbnails below
Detail 1, right hand,  note in the following images the original condition of the hand. photo Ian Alsop, July 30, 2010.

Detail 2, Sakyamuni with a group of visitors during a tour of the marvels of Patan:  left to right: Bijayaratna Shakya, Rajesh Shakya of Guita, Shankaratna Shakya of Guita, David Pritzker, Asha Kaufman, Rajan Shakya, Phalsman Shakya, seated Addison Smith. Bijay and Rajan and Phalsman have served as the author's guides on many adventures and were the ones to first show him the Buddha of Guita Bahi and this wonderful stone sculpture. photo, Ian Alsop, July 30 2010

Detail 3, The Buddha shortly after it was discovered in 1987, with the smaller Buddha now in the National Museum (see Fig. 13) Photo: Prof. Dr._Adalbert J.Gail,  Bild-Archiv Prof. Dr._Adalbert J. Gail, Nepal-288357-287663 (NSS-SD card)

Detail 4, The Buddha  after it was discovered in storage awaiting restoration

Photo: Prof. Dr. Adalbert J. Gail, Bild-Archiv Prof. Dr. Adalbert J. Gail Bilder-244203-239014 (NSS-SD card)

Detail 5, The Buddha before restoration photo courtesy Bijayaratna Shakya

Citations: Published:
Gail, Adalbert J., 1990, “The Newly Discovered Maitreya from Śaṅkhamūl, Kathmandu Valley”, Makaranda – Essays in Honor of Dr. James C. Harle, (Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications), pp 91 ff "late Licchavi"

Gail, Adalbert J.,1990a, "Nepalica Iconographica" (with comments by Lain Singh Bangdel, Kathmandu) Aspects of Nepalese Traditions, ed Bernhard Kolver, Publications of the Nepal Research Center np. 19, (Kathmandu: Nepal Research Centre), pp 77-89

Gail, Adalbert J., 1991, Kloster in Nepal: Ikonographie buddhisticher Kloster im Kathmandutal, Tafel LII-LIII, Maitreya von Śaṅkhamūl

Shrestha, Khadga Man, 2008, History of Buddhism in Nepal, 422, illustrated, Licchavi period

Shakya, Milan Ratna, 2011, Ancient Stone Images of Buddha and Bodhisattva in Nepal: 149-150, Standing Buddha of Cankramaṇa category.

von Schroeder, Ulrich, 2019, Nepalese Stone Sculptures, two vols, vol II, Buddhist, standing Buddha Śākyamuni, Fig. VII-6, p. 874, and standing Buddha Maitreya, 277 C-D, pp 890-891,  circa 8th century