Ayaka panel with depiction of an Andhra stupa
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The elemental power of Buddhist architecture is superbly conveyed in this depiction on a panel from an offering platform at the Dhulikatta stupa. The building blocks represented—basement, drum, and dome, with umbrellas (chattras) radiating from the enclosure (harmika) at the summit—have a simplicity of form that emphasizes the singular purpose of the stupa, to house the relics. Traces of plaster with pigment in concealed recesses alert us to the colorful appearance of these stupas when under active worship. All surfaces were likely lime-plastered and brightly polychromed, giving the ancient Buddhist architecture a very different appearance to that seen today.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ayaka panel with depiction of an Andhra stupa
- Period: Early Satavahana
- Date: 1st century BCE
- Culture: India, Dhulikatta Great Stupa, Karimnagar district, Telangana
- Medium: Limestone
- Dimensions: H. 42 1/8 in. (107 cm); W. 48 1/16 in. (122 cm); D. 9 1/16 in. (23 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by Karimnagar Archaeology Museum
- Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art