Drum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the Buddha

Drum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the Buddha

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Of the many moments in the life of the historical Buddha told in the canonical biographies, two were especially favored for stupa decoration: the Great Departure and the Temptation. Both narratives are depicted on this drum panel from Nagarjunakonda. Each epitomizes the negation of desire, represented below by Prince Siddhartha’s renunciation of privilege to become an ascetic seeker of knowledge—the beginning of his spiritual journey—and above, by his resistance of the temptations offered by Mara, the force of darkness.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Drum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the BuddhaDrum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the BuddhaDrum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the BuddhaDrum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the BuddhaDrum panel with scenes of the Great Departure and Temptation of the Buddha

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.