Worship at a Stupa

From the railing of the Bharhut Stupa
India, state of Madhya Pradesh,
Bharhut Shunga dynasty, early 2nd century BCE
Sandstone
Purchase F1932.26

At the end of the Buddha's life, his cremated remains were interred in stupas that became major sites for pilgrimage. This relief from the Bharhut stupa railing depicts two devotees circumambulating the hemispherical reliquary and clasping their hands in the gesture of adoration. Worshipers who visited Bharhut most likely saw themselves reflected within this image. The sculptors represented each worshiper multiple times, an artistic strategy that conveys movement over time and through space.