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A symbol of the Buddha's presence, a stone slab depicting his footprints (buddhapāda) was a regular feature of Buddhist monastic architecture in southern India. In a religious setting, reverence for the footprint alludes to a profound respect for higher knowledge-wisdom, witnessed by devotees prostrating themselves before the feet of a spiritual mentor. This buddhapāda was excavated from a semicircular (apsidal) shrine at the phanigiri monastery. It carries a one-line inscription that honors the donor's gift and asserts his lineage. The footprints display numerous auspicious marks of a Great Man (mahāpuruṣa), most prominently the Dharma-wheel on the soles of the feet.