Phra Pathom Stupa: Dharma Wheel

THAILAND

This sculpture dates to the early Dvaravati Kingdom (circa 6th–13th century) in a region where both Hinduism and Buddhism flourished. The figure seated cross-legged beneath the large wheel is Surya, the Sun god, who is regarded as a Dharma protector in Buddhism. Alternatively, some scholars regard the figure as a representation of the cakravartin, the wheel-turning king. The figure wears a tiered crown and holds a lotus in both raised hands. Sturdy yaksas squatting on either side of the central figure support the weight of the wheel on their backs. The hub of the wheel is formed from a solar disc, about which twelve spokes resemble the scrolled ionic columns of Greek temples. The pattern on the felloe repeats the scroll pattern within a beaded band, while the rim is patterned.