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Dome panel with scene of transporting Prince Siddartha's headdress to heaven

late 3rd century CE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The celebration of the hair-turban relic, marking the moment Prince Siddhartha renounced worldly possessions, was a favored subject in Andhra Buddhist art. The scene mirrors the description in Ashvaghosa's second-century CE Sanskrit biography, Buddhacarita (Life of the Buddha, translated by Patrick Olivelle): “Unsheathing his sword, dark as a lotus petal, he cut his ornate headdress along with his hair, and threw it in the air, the cloth trailing behind—it seemed he was throwing a swan into a lake. As it was thrown up, heavenly beings caught it out of reverence so they may worship it; throngs of gods in heaven paid it homage.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dome panel with scene of transporting Prince Siddartha's headdress to heaven
  • Period: Ikshvaku
  • Date: late 3rd century CE
  • Culture: India, Nagarjunakonda, attributed to Stupa Site 3, Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh
  • Medium: Limestone
  • Dimensions: H. 24 in. (61 cm); W. 37 in. (94 cm); D. 5 7/8 in. (15 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by National Museum, New Delhi
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art