Sanchi: North Gate, detail of top lintel, seen from Stupa
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Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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Abstract
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Repeated here is another familiar scene, the elephant king, Chhaddant, paying homage to the Bodhi tree in the company of his followers, This illustrates the piety of all kings in their worship of the Enlightened Buddha, A lush vine of lotuses coils its way along the bottom of the scene, and some of the elephants bring blossoms toward the tree, Buddha is again invisible, but the rich symbolism suggests his presence adequately enough for our complete understanding of the scene, The composition is handled discretely, as are the others on this particular gate, in that a simple repetition of figures and the use of overlapping produce the necessary effect without becoming monotonous, The innermost elephants are the largest to draw our attention to the tree, and though the background is fairly busy with other animal figures, the importance of the main images around the Bodhi tree is not obscured,
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Archives Series
Basham Collection
Date created
circa 1970s
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This image is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the prior permission of the Archives Program, Australian National University.
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