Dhaneswar Khera Buddha image inscription, Buddha image inscription in Banda district, India

The Dhaneswar Khera Buddha image is a bronze sculpture of the Buddha whose base carries a Sanskrit inscription. The pedestal records that the image was the meritorious gift of Mahādevī, queen of Harirāja of the Gupta lineage. Since 1969 the statue has been kept in the British Museum, in the Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery for China and South Asia.

The inscription records the dedication of the bronze statue by Mahadevi, the wife of Hariraja from the Gupta dynasty, during the 5th century. This era marked a time of strong royal support for Buddhist art and religious monuments.

The Sanskrit inscription on the pedestal names the donor as Mahādevī, queen of Harirāja, who is described as born in the Gupta lineage. It records that the image was her meritorious gift (deyadharma) for the welfare of all beings. The text was first noted in 1949 and published by D. C. Sircar in Epigraphia Indica.

The site is located near Icchawar village within the Jaspura Tahsil area of Banda District. Being somewhat remote, visitors should check local access options before planning a visit.

The three statues from the hoard were not identical: the inscribed Buddha is in the British Museum since 1969, while the other two went to the Bangkok National Museum and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The inscription was first noted only in 1949, decades after the bronzes were published in 1895.