Nakhon Pathom: Dharma Wheel
Stone
Nakhon Pathom: Dharma Wheel
THAILAND, Nakhon Pathom
The majority of the Dharma wheels discovered at Nakhon Pathom were created during the Dvaravati Kingdom (circa 6th–13th century) and are unique to the area of U Thong. They are normally carved on both sides and mounted on a stone base with a deer looking over its shoulder crouched below. Moving in from the edge, the strake is carved with a foliate pattern and the felloe with an alternating pattern of flowers and foliage succeeded by a beaded inner rim. The spokes appear to be copied from pillars found in Indian caves and are attached to the rim by scrolled capitals. The wheel and deer symbolize the Buddha’s first turning of the Dharma wheel, which took place in Deer Park at Sarnath.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr, page 748.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr},
pages = 748,
title = {{Nakhon Pathom: Dharma Wheel}},
volume = 12,
year = {2016}}