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Railing coping fragment with lotus bloom meander

India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Satna District, Madhya Pradesh

ca. 150–100 BCE

Not on view

The decoration of this coping from the enclosure railing at the Great Stupa at Bharhut is a testimony to the power of the lotus flower as a metaphor for renewal and regeneration. An embodiment of the life force in Indian religious art, the lotus bloom comes to evoke the purity of the Buddha, emerging radiant and unmarked from an impure world. Here the lotus vine is without beginning or end, emphatically asserting creation from the primordial waters. The principal motif on the coping, the lotus vine encircled the stupa in an auspicious embrace, instilling good fortune to all who walked the enclosure path.

Railing coping fragment with lotus bloom meander, Sandstone, India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Satna District, Madhya Pradesh — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Railing coping fragment with lotus bloom meander, Sandstone, India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Satna District, Madhya Pradesh

Railing coping fragment with lotus bloom meander, Sandstone, India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Satna District, Madhya Pradesh

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Railing coping fragment with lotus bloom meander

Period: Shunga

Date: ca. 150–100 BCE

Culture: India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Satna District, Madhya Pradesh

Medium: Sandstone

Dimensions: H. 16 9/16 in. (42 cm); W. 65 3/8 in. (166 cm); D. 9 7/16 in. (24 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Lent by Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh

Accession Number: TS.106

Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier: cat. 9

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