Fragment of a limestone pillar

Four faces of this pillar carry carvings, with motifs well-established in the repertoire of early Buddhist symbols. Three of the four faces carry lotus scrolls along the central portion of the shaft. The fourth carries a more complicated vegetal motif. The scrolls either issue from a purnaghata (urn of plenty) or from the mouth of a dwarf yaksha.The upper panels on the pillar however, carry different symbols. On the first face is a pillar, which closely resembles those erected during the reign of the Mauryan emperor Asoka (reigned about 265-238 BC), crowned by a seated lion. The pillar issues from a purnaghata, associating the cult of pillar worship with trees and fertility. The second side also shows a pillar, with a capital in the shape of addorsed (back-to-back) elephants crowned by a dharmachakra (symbolizing the 'Wheel of the Law' set in motion by the Buddha's First Sermon). The pillar itself stands enclosed within a square vedika or fence, demarcating the sacred space. The third side shows a sacred pipal tree (Ficus religiosa) with a garland hanging on the trunk just above the point where the branches start. The last carved surface depicts a stupa in the upper section of the pillar.The pillar also carries an inscription which identities the donor as the perfumer Hamgha and his family.