Buddhism dates back to the 6th century BC and was founded by a prince, Siddhartha Gautama, who was later given the name of Buddha. The V&A holds one of the most important Asian collections in the UK containing Central, South, South East and East Asian Buddhist sculptures and paintings.
Buddhism & the Life of the Buddha
The legends associated with the major events of the Buddha's life, given here in condensed form, are based on a number of sources. Among the most important is the Buddhacar…
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Buddhist Sects
During the centuries after the Buddha's death, Buddhism began to divide into various sects, resulting in the establishment of three main branches of Buddhist belief: Therav…
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Iconography of the Buddha
The image of the Buddha is distinguished in various different ways. The Buddha is usually shown in a stylised pose or asana. Also important are the 32 lakshanas or special…
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The Wheel of Rebirth
The Wheel of Rebirth enshrines the main Buddhist teachings on Karma, the laws of spiritual cause and effect.
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Festivals of Light - Buddhism
Buddhas are beings who have achieved enlightenment. They are often represented with halos of light and sometimes even with a flame above their heads. These symbolise the in…
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The Gupta Style of the Buddha & Its Influence in Asia
The Gupta period (4th to 6th century) is noted as a time during which the quintessential Buddha image was created, becoming an iconic form which was disseminated and copied…
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The Radiant Buddha
This standing figure of the Buddha Sakyamuni is one of only a tiny number of Indian metal Buddha images surviving from a formative period in the development of the image of…
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The Mandalay Shrine
The shrine, and its associated group of objects, bring together the skills of several craftsmen and unite them in the service of Buddhism, which was the purpose of a great …
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The Mahasiddha Virupa
This figure represents the Mahasiddha, or great yogic adept Virupa, who lived during the 9th century in north India. Such figures lived alone or with a consort and became r…
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Secrets of the Seated Buddha
Like a medieval time capsule the contents of this image have revealed hidden details of its production and worship in Tibet.
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Chinese Buddhist Cave Temple Sculpture
This Buddha's head, which dates to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577 AD) is one of several pieces in the V&A's collection thought to have originated from a Buddhist cave tem…
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Indian Temple Sculpture
This innovative book, illustrated with the V&A's unrivalled collection of South-Asian sculpture, looks at Indian temple sculpture in context, as a…
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