Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Ayaka panel with depiction of an Andhra stupa
India, Dhulikatta Great Stupa, Karimnagar district, Telangana
Not on view
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.
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