According to Buddhist tradition, which hand gesture shows the Buddha calling the earth to witness?

According to Buddhist tradition, the Bhumisparsha mudra shows the Buddha calling the earth to witness.

In this gesture, the seated Buddha touches the ground with his right hand while the left hand rests in his lap. The image refers to the moment when Mara challenged Siddhartha’s right to claim enlightenment. Siddhartha called the earth goddess as witness to the merit accumulated through his previous lives.

The gesture is therefore strongly associated with the Buddha’s awakening beneath the Bodhi tree. It is especially common in Buddhist sculpture and painting from South and Southeast Asia, although artistic details vary across regions and periods.

The Bhumisparsha mudra is sometimes called the earth-touching gesture. It should not be confused with the Dhyana mudra, which depicts meditation with both hands resting together, or the Abhaya mudra, which symbolizes fearlessness with a raised open palm.