The Bharhut Stupa was built in the mid-2nd century BCE (c.125 - 100 BCE) in the village of Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh. The stupa dome had collapsed long back, and the torana gateway and stone railings were moved to the Indian Museum in Kolkata.
The stone railings of the Bharhut stupa are unique in the sense that they have been embellished with a profusion of intricate carvings. Moreover, it was quite amazing to see that the carvings on these red sandstone walls have retained their polish and sharp edges even after 2000 years of erosion!
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| A gatekeeper welcoming visitors to the stupa with folded hands. |
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| The stone railing imitates the wooden post-and-rail construction of an earlier period, and is decorated with large medallions. |
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| During the initial centuries of Buddhism, the Buddha was worshiped aniconically in the form of a stupa, tree, dharmachakra, empty throne, or footprints. On the upper right medallion we can see an instance of a stupa being worshiped. |
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| It is quite striking that these railings have retained their mahogany-like polish even after 2000 years of erosion. |
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| The medallions and railing posts depict the faces of the donors, Jataka stories, events from Buddha's life and lotus ornaments. |
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| Stone railings depicting events from the Buddha's life |
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| An exquisitely carved lotus |
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| Tree worship. In Buddhism the tree symbolized the Bodhi tree under which Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment. However, tree worship was also present in many other cultures of antiquity, where the tree symbolized fertility. |
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| The Eastern gateway or torana. It resembles the gateways at Sanchi. |
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| Reclining animal. Wonder what animal this is.. |
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| A pair of reclining sphinxes |
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| Another gatekeeper welcoming the visitors to the stupa |
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| An elephant must be there in Indian architecture! The person depicted here is probably a king or a very rich donor. |
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| Another intricate lotus medallion.The intricacy of the carvings and the unreal polish makes it difficult to believe that they were done some 2000 years ago! The Bharhut stupa is certainly one of the most precious archaeological treasures kept in the Indian Museum in Kolkata |
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