"Lord Budha in a rare smiling 'mudra'" by K.J.S.Chatrath

This is a statue of Lord Buddha in the National Museum Kolkata that I visited in February 2016.

This sandstone statue depicts him in the 'mudra' of offering protection.  It dates back to Kushana, ca. 1^st century C.E., Ahihchatra, Uttar Pradesh. 

I found this unusual as I had not till then seen any statue of Lord Buddha smiling so very clearly.  

Incidentally 'Buddha Smiling' was the code name given to India's peaceful nuclear test in 1974. 

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