Celebrants venerating the empty throne

India, Chandavaram Stupa 1, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh

late 1st–early 2nd 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.

This panel depicts worshippers alongside evocations of the Buddha’s presence: the empty throne from which a sacrificial post (yupa) rises, with the Buddha’s footprints beneath it. It was recovered in 1972 from the northern platform (ayaka) of Chandavaram Stupa 1, one of the best-preserved and largest great stupas of the Satavahana period. The monastery is located on a prominent hill overlooking the Gundlakamma River, in southern Andhra Pradesh, strategically situated on an ancient trade route that connected the networks of the western Deccan to the Bay of Bengal.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Celebrants venerating the empty throne
Period: Satavahana
Date: late 1st–early 2nd century CE
Culture: India, Chandavaram Stupa 1, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: H. 35 in. (88.9 cm); W. 42 1/2 in. (108 cm); D. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Lent by National Museum, New Delhi
Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
Curatorial Department: Asian Art