In the Buddhist tradition, the Maitreya is the future Buddha. A Bodhisattva residing in the Tushita heaven, who will descend to earth to preach a new Dharma or ‘law’ when the teachings of Gautama Buddha or Shakyamuni Buddha have completely decayed. The name Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit Maitri or friendliness, and his worship was especially popular around from the 4th to the 9th Century CE. Bihar, which is home to the spiritual gem of Bodhgaya and Vaishali, has always had deep abiding roots of Buddhism intertwined with its cultural legacy and the popularity of the Maitreya as a sculptural ornament, in temples and monasteries continued to exist. The Maitreya is depicted with the characteristic air of expectancy and promise that defined its place as a Buddhist deity.
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