In 1919, a statue was discovered in Didarganj, a village near Patna in Bihar.
The picture is thought to be from the third century B.C.E., making it a Maurya dynasty product.
The statue depicts a voluptuous female figure wearing profuse jewelry and wielding a yak-tail whisk (chauri), which was a popular authority symbol at the time.
It is said to be a yakshi statue, a kind of nature spirit associated with fertility and wealth.
It is one of the oldest known stone sculptures, and it is thought to have been acquired via interaction with the Greeks.
The figure is crafted from highly polished Chunar sandstone quarried in Benares, and the carefully detailed rendering of her attire and jewelry conveys the sensation of softness and expansion of the naked flesh.
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