Amaravati: Stupa

INDIA, Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati; Satavahana period

The relief on the slab is a representation of the Amaravati Stupa. Guarding the entrance are two pairs of lions, placed one above the other and facing different directions. The walls are decorated with large roundels and immediately beyond them is a Buddha image sheltered by the naga king.
Depictions of serpents are rare in early northern Indian Buddhist art but in southern India, where Amaravati is located, this portrayal is popular. The Buddha sits on the coils of the naga king, which raises its seven heads in a fan-like formation around the Buddha’s nimbus. A further thirteen heads encircles these seven heads. Two attendants flank the Buddha, and each holds a whisk. Four female figures are kneeling in worship before the throne.
The reliefs on the stupa depict the Life of the Buddha. Immediately above these scenes are bands of galloping animals, then vases or flower garlands. A harmika at the apex is mounted with a canopy, and apsaras fill the space above the stupa.