Jataka Buddha Collection by Rixenchères, rixensart, Rixensart (2026)

27/05/2026

The Buddha of Mahabodhi Temple: A Story of Loss and Rediscovery 🙏

Have you ever stood before the Buddha statue inside the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya and felt that deep, ancient energy? This sacred image has a fascinating and dramatic history that spans over a thousand years.
The Original "Mahabodhi Image"

The original statue inside the Mahabodhi Temple was one of the most revered Buddha images in all of Buddhism. According to the famous 7th-century Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (Hsuan Tsang), this colossal statue was about 11 feet 5 inches tall, seated in the earth-touching mudra (bhumisparsha), and adorned with a magnificent detachable crown and jeweled necklace. The chamber was so dim that mirrors had to be used to reflect light onto it so devotees could see its details.

Legend said the statue was miraculously created when a mysterious sculptor locked himself in the temple chamber with scented earth and a lamp for six months. When the door was opened early, the statue was found almost perfect — except for a small unfinished part on the breast. A monk later dreamed that it was Maitreya himself who had molded it.

The Loss
Tragically, this original image was lost. In 1811, British surveyor Francis Buchanan Hamilton was told by locals that the original statue had been made of gold and was destroyed by Muslim invaders during the turbulent medieval period. The temple itself fell into ruin after the 12th-century Turkish invasions led by Qutb al-Din Aibak and Bakhtiyar Khilji. Buddhism nearly vanished from India, and the Mahabodhi Temple was abandoned for centuries.

The Rediscovery
But here is where the story takes a remarkable turn. In 1880, during the British restoration of the temple led by Sir Alexander Cunningham, a large Buddha statue was discovered in the compound of the Hindu Mahant (the local priest who had taken control of the site). This statue dated from the 10th or 11th century — the Pala period — and was likely the image that had been rededicated by Pīṭhīpati Jayasena in the 13th century. It had apparently been removed from the temple sanctum at some point and kept in the Mahant's residence.
At Cunningham's suggestion, this statue was moved back into the temple's sanctum in 1884, where it remains today. The plinth was reconstructed, and parts of the original dedicatory inscription were reinserted. The sculpture has since been repaired, painted, and gilded, and is now actively worshipped as the central Buddha image of the Mahabodhi Temple.

So the Buddha you see today when you visit Bodh Gaya is not the original from Xuanzang's time — but it is an ancient and sacred image that survived centuries of turmoil, was rediscovered, and returned to its rightful place at the heart of Buddhism's holiest site.

26/05/2026

11th–13th Century Khmer / Lopburi Bronze Crowned Buddha — 20.5cm

Description: Exceptional ancient bronze figure of a crowned Buddha in deep meditation (dhyana mudra), dating to the 11th–13th century. Executed in the classic Khmer-Lopburi style, the figure wears the distinctive tall, tiered miter crown and elaborate jewelry, with beautiful surviving traces of original gold gilding across the face, neck, and torso. The surface displays a superb, naturally developed patina with rich tonal variation from centuries of burial and veneration.

Details:

Period: 11th–13th century

Height: 20.5 cm

Medium: Bronze with original gilding remnants

Style: Khmer / Lopburi (Angkor-period influence)

Posture: Dhyana mudra

Condition: Fragmentary lower base / throne as visible in photos. Structurally sound with excellent age-appropriate surface wear. As the casting is thin, some cracks are present on the back—typical of ancient lost-wax casting techniques and common in period Khmer bronzes of this type. No modern damage or repairs apparent.

A rare opportunity to acquire a genuine medieval Southeast Asian Buddhist sculpture with excellent presence and provenance appeal. Displays beautifully despite the fragmentary base.

Contact us if interested

25/05/2026

Ancient Lan Xang Bronze Buddha | 17th–18th Century — Available for Direct Sale
Standing 57cm tall, this exceptional bronze figure embodies the serene elegance of Lao Buddhist artistry from the Lan Xang kingdom period. The Buddha stands in Metakaruna mudra—the gesture of calling the rain—with arms extended gently downward, palms facing outward in a compassionate summons to the heavens.
Distinguishing features include striking silver-inlaid eyes that catch the light with an ethereal, lifelike gaze, and a deep, rich dark patina that speaks to centuries of veneration and history. The tall ushnisha rises into a flame finial, while the patterned sanghati robe and detailed spiral motifs on the base reflect the distinctive Lan Xang aesthetic.
Later secured to a metal stand for preservation and display.
A rare opportunity to acquire a powerful piece of Southeast Asian spiritual heritage. Serious inquiries welcome—available for direct sale. 🙏
📩 DM for details.

25/05/2026

Ancient Lan Xang Bronze Buddha | 17th–18th Century
Laos

Available for Direct Sale

Standing 57cm tall, this exceptional bronze figure embodies the serene elegance of Lao Buddhist artistry from the Lan Xang kingdom period. The Buddha stands in Metakaruna mudra—the gesture of calling the rain—with arms extended gently downward, palms facing outward in a compassionate summons to the heavens.

Distinguishing features include striking silver-inlaid eyes that catch the light with an ethereal, lifelike gaze, and a deep, rich dark patina that speaks to centuries of veneration and history. The tall ushnisha rises into a flame finial, while the patterned sanghati robe and detailed spiral motifs on the base reflect the distinctive Lan Xang aesthetic.
Later secured to a metal stand for preservation and display.

A rare opportunity to acquire a powerful piece of Southeast Asian spiritual heritage.

Serious inquiries welcome—available for direct sale. 🙏

📩 DM for details.

21/05/2026

🙏 Available for Direct Sale — 17th-Century Lanxan Kingdom Bronze Buddha

A remarkable piece from the Lanxan kingdom of Laos, now available from our private collection.

This 50 cm bronze Buddha sits in serene meditation upon a rare quadripod base — a distinctive feature of the period. The rich, dark patina glows with centuries of quiet devotion, while the silver eyes catch the light with a gaze that is both gentle and profoundly alive.

✨ Details: • Period: 17th century, Lanxan kingdom (Laos) • Height: 50 cm • Lap: 8.5 inches (knee to knee) • Material: Bronze with silver eyes • Authentication: Thermoluminescence testing certificate confirming age • Provenance: from an old french private collection

Each piece we offer is personally selected and authenticated. Denis Lepage, specialist in Southeast Asian Buddhist art and published author, has examined and approved this statue.

📩 Interested? DM us here or WhatsApp +32 479 980 746 for additional information

🔗 View on our website: www.rixencheres.com

Pieces of this quality and documented authenticity rarely come to market. Serious inquiries only.

https://www.rixencheres.com/product-page/145-bronze-buddha-laos-lanxan-kingdom-17th-century

21/05/2026

🌟 The Buddha Nobody Knew Was Gold 🌟

Meet Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon — the Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit — and one of the most astonishing secrets ever kept in plain sight.

✨ What Makes It Extraordinary
This is not a statue merely coated in gold leaf. It is a colossal 5.5-tonne sculpture cast in solid gold — but here is what few people realize: the artisans did not use one single alloy. They deliberately chose different gold purities for different parts of the body, blending artistry with ancient metallurgical wisdom.

🔸 The Body — The Foundation (~40% pure gold) The torso and lower body rest on an alloy of roughly 40% gold. At this purity, the metal gains the structural strength needed to support a figure standing three meters tall. The craftsmen sacrificed brilliance for stability, knowing the base had to bear the weight of centuries.

🔸 The Face — The Radiance (~80% pure gold) Rising from the neck upward, the purity increases to approximately 80%. The face is where devotion meets the divine — the expression of serenity, the gentle curve of the lips. A richer alloy here catches the light differently, giving the countenance a living warmth that draws the eye and quiets the mind.

🔸 The Head — The Summit (finest available alloy) The ushnisha, the sacred cranial protuberance representing supreme enlightenment, together with the Buddha's distinctive snail-shell curls and the small flame-like finial at the very top, contain the most precious metal in the entire statue. While some tourist accounts claim "99% pure" or "24 karat," historians urge caution — such extreme purity was extraordinarily difficult to achieve in the 14th century, and scholarly sources have not published verified assays. What we do know is that the artisans reserved their finest, most carefully refined gold for the holiest part of the figure. It is a silent statement that wisdom itself is the purest treasure.

🔸 Born in the Sukhothai Golden Age Art historians place this masterpiece in the mid-14th century, most likely during the reign of King Lithai (Mahathammaracha I), the great Buddhist patron of Sukhothai. The elongated proportions, the egg-shaped head, the flame-capped ushnisha, and that subtle, transcendent smile are unmistakable signatures of the mature Sukhothai style — the moment when Thai sacred art reached its spiritual peak.

🔸 The Ayutthaya Transfer As the power of Ayutthaya grew and finally eclipsed Sukhothai, this sacred image was carried south to the new capital. It took its place among Ayutthaya's spiritual treasures, watched over by generations of monks — until the city itself faced annihilation.

🔸 The Secret That Died in the Flames In 1767, the Burmese Konbaung armies laid waste to Ayutthaya. As destruction closed in, someone made a desperate choice: they smothered the golden Buddha beneath thick layers of stucco and colored glass, transforming a fortune into something worthless in the eyes of invaders. The deception worked. But there was a cost. Those who knew what lay beneath — the monks, the craftsmen, the guardians — did not survive the inferno. The secret perished with them.

For nearly two centuries, the statue sat in darkness. It was moved to Bangkok, installed at the modest Wat Traimit under a simple tin roof, and worshipped daily as an ordinary plaster Buddha. Generation after generation bowed before it. Nobody suspected. Nobody remembered.

🔸 The Day the Earth Cracked Open May 25, 1955. Workers were hoisting the statue into its new position. The ropes gave way. The figure crashed to the ground. A shard of plaster broke off. And beneath it — gold. Not paint. Not leaf. Solid, glowing, impossible gold.

As the casing came away piece by piece, the world discovered what had been hiding in plain sight: a 5.5-tonne golden Buddha, cast in nine interlocking sections, assembled with a key still hidden inside the plaster at its base. Eight hundred years of silence ended in a single afternoon.

Today, Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon sits in Maravijaya Attitude at Wat Traimit — certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest solid gold sculpture and the most valuable religious object on Earth by intrinsic metal worth.
But its real value? That lies in the story. In the hands that built it. In the hands that hid it. In the hands that — for two hundred years — prayed to it without ever knowing what they were touching.

20/05/2026

🧐 Do you know where the first Southeast Asian Buddha images were found — and how old they are? ✨

The earliest evidence of Southeast Asian Buddha imagery comes from Upper Myanmar 🇲🇲:

Small gold Buddha statues showing Gandhara and Mathura influence (the earliest northern Indian schools) have been found there, dating them to between the 2nd and 5th centuries CE! ⏳ those gold images were made by the Pyu civilization.

This predates all other Buddha images in Southeast Asia — but why? 🤔 The answer lies in geography 🗺️. Upper Myanmar sits on the overland Silk Road 🐪🛤️ between India and China, a commercial route that has been active for more than 2,000 years! 📅✨ This strategic position allowed the region to rapidly absorb ideas and artistic influences from both the Indian 🇮🇳 and Chinese 🇨🇳 worlds.

Myanmar is also home to the earliest Buddhist monastery (in Beikhtano, an early Pyu city) in Southeast Asia 🛕, dating from the 1st to 2nd century CE and inspired by southern Indian models from Andhra .
These two factors combined show that Myanmar was already in contact with both Southern and Northern Indian Buddhism from the very beginning! 🙏🌏

19/05/2026

🏛️ The Silent Giant of Wat Na Phra Men

Tucked away in a quiet side chapel at Wat Na Phra Men in Ayutthaya sits a figure that predates the famous temple itself by centuries. Meet Phra Khantharat—a colossal stone Buddha that carries the soul of ancient Mon civilization.

🪨 A Survivor from the Dvaravati World
Carved sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries, this monumental image stands 5.20 metres tall with a lap of nearly 1.70 metres. Art historians consider it one of only five massive seated Dvaravati Buddhas in Thailand worthy of true national treasure status. That's over 900 years of history looking back at you.

🪑 The "European" Posture
What makes Phra Khantharat instantly striking is his seated position. He rests in Pralambanāsana—a throne posture Thai scholars nicknamed pralap yok (the "European" way of sitting). Both legs hang naturally downward, feet resting on a lotus support, rather than folded in the classic lotus position. It gives him an unexpectedly approachable, regal presence.

✋ A Story in the Hands
Originally, this Buddha likely raised his hands in dharmacakra mudrā—the gesture of the First Sermon. But time and restoration reshaped him. Today his hands rest quietly on his knees, an uncommon configuration in early Mon art that speaks to the many lives these sacred objects live across the centuries.

🎨 The Mon Aesthetic
Look closely and you'll see the classic Dvaravati face: broad cheeks, full lips, a continuous arch of brows, and that unmistakable, ocean-calm meditation. The style is pure Mon—grounded, serene, and powerfully human.

📜 A Journey Across Kingdoms
Phra Khantharat was never meant for Ayutthaya. A stone inscription tells us that Phraya Chai Wichit moved him from Wat Maha That during the reign of King Rama III in 1838. But the legendary scholar Luang Boriban Buribhand traced his true origins to the Phra Pathom Chedi area in Nakhon Pathom—the ancient heartland of Dvaravati culture. He likely arrived in Ayutthaya centuries earlier, carried into the Thai kingdom as Mon territories were absorbed.

⛩️ Where to Find Him
He lives today in the modest Wihan Noi, a small chapel beside the main ordination hall. While visitors flock to photograph the magnificent 6-metre crowned Ayutthaya Buddha (Phra Buddha Nimitr) in the central sanctuary, the true antiquarian soul of the temple hides in this side room. Phra Khantharat is Ayutthaya's deepest whisper—a direct line to the Mon teachers who first planted Buddhism in the Thai heartland.

18/05/2026

Theravada Buddhism nearly died in the 11th century and one king saved it. 🏛️⚔️

By the year 1070, the oldest surviving Buddhist tradition was on life support.

🇱🇰 The Collapse: After decades of Chola invasions from South India, Sri Lanka—the beating heart of Theravada Buddhism—lay in ruins. The sacred city of Anuradhapura had fallen. Monasteries were abandoned. Worst of all, the ordination lineages were broken—the living transmission from the Buddha himself had been severed. Theravada was about to become a footnote in history books.

🇲🇲 The Unlikely Savior: Enter King Anawrahta (Aniruddha) of Bagan, in what is now Myanmar. While Sri Lanka burned, Anawrahta had spent decades building something extraordinary. He annexed the Mon kingdom of Thaton in 1057, imported entire libraries of Pali scriptures, and converted/unified his kingdom from esoteric Ari practices to orthodox Theravada under the monk Shin Arahan. He built the Shwezigon Pagoda and made Bagan a fortress of the faith.
Then, in 1071, King Vijayabahu of Sri Lanka sent an urgent request: Send monks. Our sangha is extinct.
Anawrahta didn't hesitate. He dispatched ordained monks and sacred relics across the Bay of Bengal. Those Burmese monks re-established the upasampada ordination in Sri Lanka, effectively resuscitating Theravada from the dead. It was a cross-cultural rescue mission that reversed the usual flow of Buddhism—from south to north, not north to south.

🇰🇭 The Forgotten Threat: Here's what makes this story even more dramatic. While all this was happening, the Khmer Empire—mighty, expansionist, and deeply committed to Hinduism —was pushing its influence across mainland Southeast Asia. Anawrahta spent his reign checking Khmer incursions and fortifying his eastern frontier, the annexion of the Mon was a way to block the Khmer progression to avoid the access to the terraserim . If Bagan had fallen, or if Anawrahta had embraced Khmer-style Hindu-Mahayana culture instead, Theravada would have had no safe harbor left in the region.
Imagine an alternate history: no Thai forest tradition, no Burmese vipassana movement, no Pali Canon preserved in Southeast Asia. The mindfulness practices millions rely on today would simply not exist.

🔄 The Irony: The monks Anawrahta sent to save Sri Lanka would later help seed Theravada across Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia—the very regions where Khmer influence once dominated. What nearly died in the 11th century became the dominant spiritual path of half a billion people.

Next time you sit in meditation, remember: you're part of a tradition that was once a single kingdom away from extinction. History is fragile. Faith survives through solidarity, not isolation.

By Denis Lepage

17/05/2026

🌏 Did you know one of the most important Buddhist archaeological discoveries in Southeast Asia happened in Myanmar 🇲🇲?

In 1926, archaeologist Charles Duroiselle excavated the Khin Ba mound at Sri Ksetra (Thiri Khittaya) — and found the only undisturbed relic chamber in the entire ancient Pyu city. Named after the local farmer U Khin Ba who owned the land, this small brick chamber held over 500 incredible artifacts dating from the 5th to the 7th centuries.

Here are the highlights:

✨ The Great Silver Reliquary — A stunning 72.5 cm silver casket shaped like a Bawdi throne, with embossed Buddha images and inscriptions in both Pyu and Pali.

📜 The Golden Pali Text — Twenty gold palm leaves containing the oldest surviving Pali Buddhist texts in the world, dated to the 5th century AD — centuries older than anything found in Bagan.

🎨 Gold, silver, and bronze Buddha images showing artistic influences from Southern India and Sri Lanka, revealing Sri Ksetra's role as a major cultural and trading hub.

🔍 Why it matters: These discoveries prove that Theravada Buddhism and deep knowledge of Pali literature were already flourishing in Myanmar over 1,600 years ago. The Pyu civilization wasn't just a stepping stone to Bagan — it was a sophisticated center of faith and learning in its own right.
Many of these treasures are now preserved at the Thiri Khittaya Museum and the National Museum of Myanmar.

17/05/2026

🚶‍♂️ The Sukhothai Walking Buddha: A Masterpiece in Motion

The Phra Leela (ปางลีลา) is one of the most graceful and original contributions to Buddhist art. Though the Sukhothai kingdom perfected this iconic form during its 13th–14th century golden age, the story of the "walking Buddha" actually begins a little earlier—and a little further west.

🏛️ Before Sukhothai: The Myanmar Precedent
While Indian art gave us seated, standing, and reclining Buddhas, the walking posture has no known prototype in India itself. However, at least three early representations survived from 11th–12th century Myanmar: one in the Kawgun Cave in the Mon territories, and two others among the 80 narrative steles at Bagan's Ananda Temple depicting scenes from the Buddha's life up to his Enlightenment.
These rare images show the Buddha walking during two specific events: his 38-kilometer journey to Rājagyo, and his approach toward the Bodhi Tree. The artistic link between Sukhothai and Hanthawaddy (the Mon successor state after Bagan's fall) likely helped carry this concept into Thai workshops, where it was transformed into something entirely new.

🎨 The Sukhothai Transformation
Formally, the image adopts the Leela attitude: the Buddha steps forward—usually on the left foot, heel raised—body swaying in a gentle contrapposto. The right hand is raised in abhaya mudra (fearlessness and reassurance), while the left arm swings softly at his side.
The hallmark Sukhothai aesthetic is unmistakable: sinuous, almost weightless curves, an oval face with arched brows and downcast eyes, a flame-like ushnisha, and a robe so diaphanous it seems to float rather than fall.

📖 Three Layers of Meaning
The walking posture carries multiple, overlapping meanings:
1️⃣ Descent from Tāvatiṃsa Heaven — The most common reading. After spending the rains retreat in heaven teaching the Abhidhamma to his mother, Queen Māyā, the Buddha descends a celestial ladder flanked by Indra and Brahmā. Thai artists translated this cosmic homecoming into a figure that walks toward the devotee, radiating compassion.
2️⃣ Caṅkrama — The rhythmic walking meditation the Buddha practiced beneath the Bodhi Tree during the third week after his Enlightenment. Here, the image honors his active, wandering ministry rather than his static transcendence.
3️⃣ An Earthly Ideal — Art historians note that Sukhothai broke from the remote, god-king model of the Khmer Empire. The walking Buddha is approachable, in motion, and blissful—mirroring a kingdom that wanted its ruler within reach of his people.

✨ In Sum
The Sukhothai walking Buddha is at once a narrative image, a meditation on the Buddha's earthly ministry, and a statement of classical Thai aesthetics—an icon that transformed the Awakened One from a distant deity into a living presence walking among his followers.

By Denis Lepage

Jataka Buddha Collection by Rixenchères

27/05/2026

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