Lalitasana

[1][2] Some sources distinguish between the lalitasana posture, as described above, and the "royal ease" (maharajalilasana or rajalilasana), where the right leg (usually) is bent, and the foot rests on the same level as the sitting body, and the extended arm is placed on the raised knee.

[9] In many Chinese lalitasana postures, especially for Maitreya, the tucked-in leg rests on the other thigh, which is generally not seen in Indian art.

The dangling foot often rests on something, whether a lotus flower, or the figure's vahana or "vehicle", the animal that is also an identifying attribute, or a vase.

This restriction may well be because the normal female dress (though not worn by deities in art) made the pose impossible for women.

[12] The pose is typical in depictions of kings, and sometimes queens and court notables, in early Buddhist sculpture (broadly dating from c. 100 BCE to 200 CE) from sites such as Sanchi, Bharhut and Amaravati.