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Railing pillar with naga Mucalinda protecting the buddhapada

ca. 150–100 BCE
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 railing pillar from the Great Stupa at Bharhut depicts the moment when the snake king (nagaraja) Mucalinda sheltered the Buddha, who was in deep meditation in the sixth week after his awakening. To protect him from rising floodwaters, the nagaraja enveloped the Buddha in the coils of his body and extended his hooded canopy for shelter. The empty throne and pair of footprints (buddhapada) allude to the Buddha’s presence. Wheel symbols on the footprints are one of the auspicious marks of a cakravartin monarch who rules by Dharma alone, and also evoke the Buddha’s teachings. The donor named in the inscription is a woman from the city of Bena, likely in the Deccan.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Railing pillar with naga Mucalinda protecting the buddhapada
  • Period: Shunga
  • Date: ca. 150–100 BCE
  • Culture: India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Satna district, Madhya Pradesh
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: H. 64 15/16 in. (165 cm); W. 12 5/8 in. (32 cm); D. 15 3/4 in. (23 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art