This statue represents the Buddha seated in a half-lotus position, with his right hand reaching downwards across his right knee towards the ground in the Bhumisparsha mudra, and his left resting face-up over his legs. The Bhumisparsha or ‘earth witness’ mudra (gesture or body position with a symbolic meaning and connection to an event in the life of the Buddha) represents the connection which the Buddha made with the earth when he was close to achieving Nirvana. The demon Mara was trying to frighten him and interrupt his meditation, and as part of this challenged him to produce a witness to agree that he had the right to achieve enlightenment. As the Buddha touched the ground, the earth itself appeared as his witness, allowing him to defeat Mara and prove himself worthy of reaching Nirvana.

His earlobes are extended downwards, a common feature in representations of the Buddha. Within East Asian belief, particularly Buddhism, large ears are seen as a sign of wisdom and compassion. The Buddha is often depicted with elongated ears to symbolise his ability to hear the cries of those who are suffering, and his sympathy and willingness to help ease their pain. It is therefore a comforting image, as it reminds those who see it that there is hope for an end to their sufferings through the search for enlightenment and the compassion of those who have reached it. The figure’s calm expression conveys the inner peace that he has been able to achieve through focused meditation and asceticism. The Buddha’s hair and conical ushnisha (a protuberance on the top of the head which is one of the key characteristics of the Buddha and which symbolises enlightenment) are golden-coloured, contrasting with the dark surface of the rest of the sculpture.