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This panel fragment preserves the repeating design―a garland disgorged by a mythical aquatic monster (makara)-that encircled the Amaravati stūpa at the junction of the drum and the dome. The undulating garland, a motif present in the earliest stūpa decor, probably reflects the floral decoration added to the stūpa drum and its upper enclosure (harmikā) during festivals. Handsome young gods (devas), clad in the manner of Sātavāhana nobility, bear the weighty garland on their shoulders. Non-Indian visual elements are also present: The devas’ heroic postures are familiar from Imperial Roman art, while the acanthus leaf, a Hellenistic borrowing, crowns the garland's upper rim in place of the Indian lotus.