Didarganj Yakshini: India's Most Beautiful Sculpture and Its 2300-Year-Old Mystery

• Discovered in 1917 while chasing a snake, the Didarganj Yakshini is an unparalleled artifact of the Mauryan Empire.
• The sculpture, found on the banks of the Ganga, initially mistaken for an ordinary stone by villagers, is now a prized possession of the Bihar Museum.
• It embodies ancient Indian aesthetics with its well-proportioned body, narrow waist, and full breasts, holding a chamara (royal fly-whisk).
• The Yakshini features an unsolved scientific mystery: the 'Mauryan Polish,' a mirror-like sheen on Chunar sandstone that has lasted 2300 years.
• Often called 'India's Mona Lisa,' the Yakshini is a 3D sculpture predating the Mona Lisa by 1800 years, possessing its own unique identity and cultural significance.