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Railing pillar with yaksha on makara
India, Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh
Not on view
Large-scale sculptural reliefs of male and female nature spirit deities—yakshas and yakshis, respectively—featured prominently on the earliest stupa enclosure railings, such as this railing pillar from Kaushambi. Placement of these deities on the corner posts of a gateway ensured that they were appropriately honored while serving as guardians of the transitional zone between profane and sacred spaces. This yaksha, with long waistcloth and jeweled ornaments, stands firmly on the compressed form of a makara, the aquatic hybrid creature that guards the watery realms. These sculpted deities were also routinely identified by name, as here in a partially legible inscription above the yaksha.
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