Drum panel with stupa veneration and seminal Buddha-life events
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Three decorative panels on the drum of this spectacular stupa depict key moments in the Buddha’s life: his renunciation, enlightenment, and death. At the center is the Great Departure, represented as a riderless horse passing through a tall gateway, alluding to the start of Prince Siddhartha’s life as a mendicant (wandering ascetic). The profile of the horse draws directly from images on Roman coins then in circulation in southern India. The empty throne beneath a tree at left is a metaphor for the Buddha’s awakening at Bodhgaya, while the domed shrine on pillars at right houses the tooth relic, a symbol of the Buddha’s passing. These three scenes thus celebrate the seminal moments in the Buddha’s life.
Artwork Details
- Title: Drum panel with stupa veneration and seminal Buddha-life events
- Period: Satavahana
- Date: ca. 1st century CE
- Culture: India, Dupadu Great Stupa, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh
- Medium: Limestone
- Dimensions: H. 64 9/16 in. (164 cm); W. 45 1/4 in. (115 cm); D. 6 in. (22 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by Amaravati Heritage Centre and Museum, Andhra Pradesh
- Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art