Lion Capital, Ashokan column, general view, 3rd Century B.C. Sarnath, Museum
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Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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The entire capital of the Asokan column is impressive, When it crowned the original commemorative pillar, it supported a third capital device: a large version of the 'flower-like' Great Wheel, Overall, the column was then 50 feet high, Stylistically, it represents the last stage of Asokan column development and makes use of the six basic columnar elements derived over many years, These include, first, the undressed foundation block into which a socket was cut to hold the shaft, second, the tapered shaft itself, third, beginning the capital, the inverted flower or Purna-ghata, fourth, the abacus displaying the Four Great Animals and 'Great Wheel' motifs, fifth, atop the abacus, the four lions joined at their mid-sections, and sixth, but not included in our illustration of the capital, the crowning element of the Great Wheel which would have fitted vertically in the backs of the lions, All of these components have been in existence since Vedic times when the column itself would have been much cruder and would have been rendered in wood, Asoka took over the basic motifs, had them refined, and translated the unit into stone,
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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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