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Veneration of the flaming pillar

India, Nagarjunakonda, possibly Stupa Site 6, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh

late 3rd century CE

Not on view

Pillar imagery in both Buddhist and Brahmanical traditions is understood to bridge the human and heavenly realms. According to the literature of early Buddhism, the Buddha miraculously raised a sacrificial post (yupa) so that monks could gaze upon it in wonder. Even in its incomplete state, this panel with jubilant fly-whisk-waving attendants, dwarfs (ganas), and celestial celebrants (vidyadharas) conveys a sense of ecstatic devotion. Here the divinely adorned post rises majestically, interrupted at regular intervals by a fruit-form disc (amalaka) with acanthus-leaf projections upon which the celestials dance.

Veneration of the flaming pillar, Limestone, India, Nagarjunakonda, possibly Stupa Site 6, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Veneration of the flaming pillar

Period: Ikshvaku

Date: late 3rd century CE

Culture: India, Nagarjunakonda, possibly Stupa Site 6, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh

Medium: Limestone

Dimensions: H. 23 1/4 in. (59 cm); Est. W. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm); Est. D. 3 15/16 in. (10 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Lent by Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Rights and Reproduction: Courtesy of The Cleveland Museum of Art

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Asian Art at The Met

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