Taxila: Beam railing from Shrine No. 1 at Sirkap, Taxila, Museum,
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Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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Abstract
Description
The site of Sirkap is one of three major archaeologically important excavations in the eastern capital of Taxila in Ghandara, Its greatest occupation began with the conquest of the Punjab by the Graeco-Bactrians in the 2nd century B.C. , it continued as a primary center of foreign rule thereafter until after the fall of the Kushans, The railing itself is in the native Indian style: three component parts, uprights, crossbars, and coping: no decoration, As we see the railing here, reconstructed as well as possible in its original position, its resemblance to a Vedic fire altar is quite marked, The fire altars were part of Vedic ritual and were surrounded by a lower set of altars acting like a wall to the first one, The style of these lower altars was modified into the sort of railing we have here and which usually surrounds the stupa
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Type
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.