Fragments of Votive Stupa from Dharmarajika Stupa, Taxila Museum
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Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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Probably the most important of the monuments at Taxila is the Dharmarajika Stupa or Chir Tope as it was called because of the cleft driven through it, The main structure was quite large, circular at the base, with a raised terrace and four flights of stairs ascending the dome on four sides, When first completed, the stupa was coated with a thick layer of lime plaster long since weathered, Like the Great Stupa at Sanchi, the Dharmarajika shrine was begun during the reign of King Asoka in the Mauryan dynasty, but was enlarged tremendously thereafter by the Sakas, It was the first Buddhist structure to be erected at Taxila: Its decorational programs are extensive and include ornamental stone carvings: reliefs and statues in the round: glass tiles and embedded shells, Surrounding the major stupas were numerous smaller ones dating from the Saka Period onward, These were not as well constructed as the larger shrine and soon fell to ruin, In their place a number of chapels for Buddhist images were built instead, These images were figures of the Buddha and small votive stupas the like of which is shown in our slide, By the appearance of the votive stupa, we can get a good idea of the particular style for shrines being worked at that time, The ambulatory which usually encircles the mound has been replaced by a large terrace which also supports the dome proper,
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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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