Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Elephant Carrying Relics
Not on view
In this coping fragment from the railing at the Bharhut stupa, a richly adorned elephant appears with two riders, one of whom holds a circular container reliquary. Following the Buddha’s death at Kushinagar, in northern India, his corporeal remains were shared among eight contesting parties. One recipient is shown here returning to his kingdom with his share protected in the large reliquary borne on the head of the elephant. Behind him, a banner bearer holds on precariously, adding to the sense of urgency of the journey. Elsewhere on the railing (now reconstructed at the Indian Museum, Kolkata), the other honored recipients are depicted similarly transporting the precious relics to their homelands for interring in grand stupas.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
