Triratna Pendants and Bead
Gold
Triratna Pendants and Bead
INDIA; Sunga period (circa 185–75 BCE)
These pendants and bead were made during the Sunga period (circa 185–75 BCE). They were originally threaded and are a rare example of gold jewelry from this time.
The oval bead is decorated with a band of turtles in the middle and bead patterns with intricate netting on either side. The pendants are in the triratna shape representing the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The upper section of each pendant is composed of 12 lotus petals, whose rims are decorated with fine gold beads. In the middle of the petals, the stamens are decorated with bead patterns. A bead pattern appears below the lotus, after which the pendant divides into two.
The triratna symbol was very popular in early Buddhist art and a symbol similar to this one can be seen at Sanchi.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts, page 354.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youji and Pokorski, Stefanie and Mankuang and Fan, Wen,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts },
pages = 354,
title = {{Triratna Pendants and Bead}},
volume = 18,
year = {2016}}