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Stupa drum slab honoring the Buddha as a flaming pillar

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 flaming pillar rising from an empty throne to denote the presence of the Buddha is a unique contribution of early southern Buddhism. It is probable that the motif conflates Buddhist imagery (the empty throne) with pre-Buddhist sacrificial posts (yupas) and Vedic fire (agnipuja) worship. While no known texts directly explain this imagery in a Buddhist setting, the concept combines two metaphors of divinity: the sacrificial post that the Buddha caused to appear, adorned with jewels and made entirely of gold, and its flame-emitting quality that, like the Buddha’s body, radiates brilliance. The sutras tell us that the Buddha was “upright like a golden sacrificial post; he radiated splendor.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Stupa drum slab honoring the Buddha as a flaming pillar
  • Period: Ikshvaku
  • Date: 3rd century CE
  • Culture: India, Amaravati Great Stupa, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
  • Medium: Limestone
  • Dimensions: Visible overall: H. 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm); W. 40 in. (101.6 cm); D. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Archaeological Museum ASI, Amaravati, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art