Votive Plaque (Sachcha) of Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness
Artist/maker unknown, India
Geography:
Made in Bihar, India, Asia
Probably made in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India, Asia
Period:
Pala-Sena Dynasty (750-1100)?Date:
c. 10th - 11th centuryMedium:
TerracottaDimensions:
7 x 4 5/8 x 1 3/4 inches (17.8 x 11.7 x 4.4 cm)Curatorial Department:
South Asian ArtObject Location:
1921-36-18Credit Line:
Purchased with the George W. B. Taylor Fund, 1921
Made in Bihar, India, Asia
Probably made in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India, Asia
Period:
Pala-Sena Dynasty (750-1100)?Date:
c. 10th - 11th centuryMedium:
TerracottaDimensions:
7 x 4 5/8 x 1 3/4 inches (17.8 x 11.7 x 4.4 cm)Curatorial Department:
South Asian ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1921-36-18Credit Line:
Purchased with the George W. B. Taylor Fund, 1921
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Sachcha is the Sanskrit term for a votive plaque made of wet clay impressed with a mold. Sachchas were probably taken home by devotees as sacred mementos of their pilgrimages to Bodhgaya and other holy places. On this sachcha, Buddha calls the earth to witness beneath a stylized depiction of the Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya. Around the temple are stupas of various sizes, evoking the profusion of votive stupas in the temple compound. Below is inscribed the Buddhist creed.
