The First Sermon.
- Gallery: Room 33
- Culture: Kushan
- Made in: Gandhara (historic - Pakistan)
- Date: 2ndC-3rdC
- Object type: panel
- Materials: schist
- Museum number: 1979,0130.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is a stone panel titled "The First Sermon." This sculpture, carved from schist, dates to the 2nd or 3rd century and comes from Gandhara in what is now Pakistan. It shows a seated Buddha delivering his first teaching surrounded by followers.
The Buddha wears an over-robe and touches the seat with his right hand. His serene expression, high ushnisha, and halo suggest deep concentration. Behind him, branches and pīpal leaves frame the scene.
Around the Buddha sit four monks, their postures and gestures reflecting their roles. Some hands are hidden inside robes while one monk lifts an arm to greet the Buddha. This small panel also includes hovering celestial figures and a symbolic wheel flanked by deer. Together, these elements mark the location as the Deer Park of Sarnath, where Buddha first taught.
The scene is carefully balanced, with acanthus leaves and carved moldings framing the top and bottom. This is one of many Gandharan pieces blending spiritual meaning with striking visual harmony.
See it in person
The First Sermon. is on display in Room 33 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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