Buddharupa
Buddharūpa (बुद्धरूप, literally, "Form of the Awakened One") is the Sanskrit and Pali term used in Buddhism for statues or models of the Buddha.
Commonalities
Despite cultural and regional differences in the interpretations of texts about the life of Gautama Buddha, there are some general guidelines to the attributes of a Buddharupa:
Fingers and toes are elongated proportionately
Long, aquiline nose
Elongated earlobes
Head protuberance
Broad shoulders
The elongated earlobes are vestiges of his life as a prince, when he wore extravagant jewellery. The bump at the top of the head is the ushnisha and represents spirituality, wisdom, and awakening.
Regional variations
From a gaunt, seated ascetic to a laughing big-bellied wanderer, depictions of the Buddha vary widely across cultures.
Proportions
The image of the Buddha started to emerge from the 1st century CE in Northern India, developed in Gandhara and Mathura. The art of Gandhara was influenced by Greek art leading to the development of Greco-Buddhist art with anatomically well-proportioned and realistic figure of Buddha. One of the most influential Buddhist art was the Gupta art and the later Amaravati style. From India the depiction of Buddha spread to the rest of Asia. The Buddharupas of India, Sri Lanka, Javanese Sailendra art in Indonesia, and Khmer art of Cambodia usually depict a well proportioned figure, but sometimes he is shown emaciated, in recollection of the Buddha's years of ascetic practices. Japanese Buddharupas are often very square and stolid, while Indian and Southeast Asian ones often have thinner figures.