About this image
One of the most recognizable and poignant images in Buddhist iconography is the "Earth-Touching Buddha": the Buddha seated with the fingertips of his right hand gently touching the ground. At the moment of his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the Buddha was challenged by the demon, Mara, to prove the claim that a human being could become and awakened one. In reply, the Buddha touched the ground and called the Earth to be his witness.
