Vietnam White Marble Dharmachakra Buddha for a Temple Pond, 3 Feet

This three-foot Buddha is shown at the moment of his first teaching. He sits cross-legged on a lotus base with both hands raised before the chest, and on each hand the thumb and forefinger meet in a small circle. The two circles touch, one just in front of the other. This is the dharmachakra mudra, the gesture of turning the wheel of the dharma, which recalls the sermon at the Deer Park in Sarnath where the Buddha first explained the Four Noble Truths to his five companions. The eyes are lowered, the ushnisha rises in tight curls to a small flame finial, and a carved lotus halo frames the head.

Why this form suits a temple pond

Most water-feature Buddhas are carved in meditation, hands resting in the lap. The teaching gesture says something different: it is the Buddha speaking rather than withdrawing, which is why monasteries, vihara halls and meditation centres often choose it for the place where people gather. Set at the edge of a still lotus pond inside a covered hall, the raised hands sit at eye level for a seated visitor, and the reflection on the water doubles the gesture. At 36 inches the figure is large enough to anchor a pond of a few metres across without crowding the lotus leaves around it.

The stone: Vietnam white marble

Vietnam white marble is a cool, milky white with only faint grey clouding, a cleaner white than the warmer Indian marbles. With a soft satin polish the light rolls gently over the robe folds and the rounded lotus petals of the base, and thin edges such as the fingertips and earlobes show a slight translucency. Against pink lotus flowers and dark water the stone stays crisp rather than reading cream. It is a marble for covered and indoor settings: it should sit under a roof, in a hall, atrium or verandah, not in open rain and frost.

Carved to your brief

The piece is carved to order by the master sculptors we work with in Rajasthan, and the hands are the detail we review most closely at the drawing stage, since the two circles must meet cleanly. We can adjust the base height so the figure clears your pond's waterline, simplify or enrich the halo, or change the overall size. We design the piece with you, agree the drawing before carving begins, and arrange crating and delivery to your temple or centre, in India or abroad.