Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Drum panel with veneration of relics
India, Dupadu Great Stupa, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh
Not on view
This large-scale drum panel greeted Buddhist worshippers as they entered the circumambulation pathway from one of the gateways of the Great Stupa at Dupadu. The stupa features a vertical drum supporting a spherical dome, which is enveloped by a pair of protective nagas and topped by a profusion of honorific chattras (umbrellas) that evoke the foliage of the bodhi (wisdom) tree beneath which the Buddha attained enlightenment. At its base is an open shrine displaying the holy relics, venerated by two male worshippers. On the face of the platforms flanking the shrine are symbols of the empty throne and Dharma-wheel, references to the three key moments of the Buddha’s life: his spiritual awakening, first sermon, and death.
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