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Secondary sourceSculpturec. 200 CE

Victory over Mara

c. 200 CE

A Gandharan stone relief showing the Buddha resisting the demon Mara on the night of his enlightenment.

This sculpture depicts the Buddha's legendary struggle against Mara on the eve of his enlightenment.

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Grey schist sculpture in a museum case showing a seated Buddha with a topknot and draped robe, flanked by two standing figures, with a reclining figure at lower left. A museum label is visible at right.
Victory over Mara, Gandhara, c. 200 CE. Indian Museum, Kolkata.

About this source

What it is

This grey schist relief sculpture, dated around 200 CE, comes from the Gandhara region and is held at the Indian Museum. It shows a seated Buddha with a topknot and draped robe, flanked by standing figures, with another figure reclining nearby.

Why it matters

The scene depicts the legendary confrontation with Mara, the demon said to have tried to stop the Buddha from reaching enlightenment. Gandharan art blended Greek-influenced sculptural style with Buddhist subject matter, showing how the story of the Buddha travelled and changed as it spread across different cultures.

Look closer

  • What details in the carving show emotion or tension in the scene?
  • How does this style of sculpture compare with other depictions of the Buddha you have seen?
  • Why might this moment of resisting temptation have been important to show in art?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Buddha on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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