Mask of Vaikuntha Vishnu, late 5th century. Learn more about 5th century masks
Designed by
Raja Purna Varma (b. n.d. ; d. n.d.) was a local ruler, who is referenced in the chronicles of the seventh-century Chinese Buddhist monk and traveller Xuanzang as the king of Magadha (present-day Bihar, India). According to Xuanzang, Purna Varma revived the sacred Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya in the seventh century, after it had been damaged by King Sasanka, a ruler of the region corresponding to present-day Bengal. He is also credited with having built a railing around the tree to protect it. Xuanzang cites that Purna Varma was a descendant of the emperor Asoka (c. 304–232 BCE).