The Hundred Petal Lotus

In Indian mythology, the lotus is revered as a symbol of divine beauty, grace and perfection. The unfolding petals of the beautiful water flower represent the expansion of the soul and its blossoming from humble origins in the mud suggests spiritual enlightenment. Inspired by the idea of the ceremonial Hundred-Petal Rose, Goyal’s stylized lotus sculptures are handcrafted by skilled artisans in stepped tiers using multiple sheets of beaten brass. The installation, designed for the roof of the Palace, places one Lotus on each of its twelve platforms. The number 12 is celebrated for its divinity and versatility by mathematicians for the practical advantages in using the number to divide time, measurements, or angles and by astronomers and astrologers to understand stars, planets and stellar objects: by dividing the skies into 12 “houses,” the year into as many months, and the heavens into 12 signs of the Zodiac.