Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Stupa drum panel with naga protected Buddha
India, Nagarjunakonda, Gunter District, Andhra Pradesh
Not on view
When a Buddhist devotee approached the stupa to which this panel belonged, they were received by the serpent-enthroned Buddha, referencing a legend in which the snake king Mucalinda protected the meditating Buddha during a violent storm and ensuing flood. Celebrants honor the Buddha with garlands, perfumes, and aromatic pastes—poignant reminders of the centrality of fragrance in Buddhism. The panel precisely depicts stupa architecture from the period. Five commemorative pillars rise in front of the drum. At Nagarjunakonda, many of these carry the donor inscriptions of princess Chamtisiri, a leading royal patron of Buddhism in the mid-third century CE, allowing a secure dating of these monuments.
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