Dharma-wheel pilaster (dharmacakrastambha)
Unknown Artist
late 3rd century CE
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
H. 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm); W. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm); D. 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm); Wt. 28 lbs. (12.7 kg)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture & Period
India, probably Ghantasala, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh · Satavahana-Ikshvaku
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Fletcher and Rogers Funds, by exchange, 2008
Accession Number
2008.503
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite limestone pilaster, known as a *dharmacakrastamb* or dharma-wheel pillar, dates to the late 3rd century CE andails from ancient India, likely the Buddhist center of Ghantasala Andhra Pradesh's Krishna District. Standing just 15½ inches tall, this compact sculpture (H. 15½ in.; W. 9½ in.; D. 3⅜ in.) served as an architectural element, probably adorning a stupa railing or temple facade during the Satavah-Ikshvaku period. Carved with precision, it prominently features the dharmacakra—the eight-spoked Wheel of Dharma—symbolizing the Buddha's teachings and the Noble Eightfold Path, o...