Two Lotuses, from the Bharhut Stupa

Two Lotuses, from the Bharhut Stupa

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

These lotuses were part of a wish-fulfilling vine at the top of a high railing (vedika), which enclosed the sacred precinct of the Bharhut stupa (relic mound). This vedika was also embellished with some of the earliest reliefs illustrating past lives of the Buddha (jatakas), depictions of major life events, and local deities (yakshis and yakshas). The lotus is an auspicious symbol that alludes to the Buddha's enlightenment. The row of hanging bells at the bottom is likely a translation into stone of an earlier actual architectural embellishment.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Two Lotuses, from the Bharhut StupaTwo Lotuses, from the Bharhut StupaTwo Lotuses, from the Bharhut StupaTwo Lotuses, from the Bharhut StupaTwo Lotuses, from the Bharhut Stupa

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.