59.Drum panel with veneration of relics

  • ca. 1st century
  • Mahācaitya, Dupadu, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh
  • Amaravati Heritage Centre and Museum, Andhra Pradesh

This large-scale drum panel greeted Buddhist worshippers as they entered the circumambulation pathway from one of the gateways of the Great Stūpa at Dupadu. The stūpa features a vertical drum supporting a spherical dome, which is enveloped by a pair of protective nāgas and topped by a profusion of honorific umbrellas (chattras) that evoke the foliage of the bodhi (tree beneath which the Buddha attained enlightenment. At its base is an open shrine displaying the holy relics, venerated by two male worshippers. On the face of the platforms flanking the shrine are symbols of the empty throne and Dharma-wheel, references to the three key moments of the Buddha's life: his spiritual awakening, first sermon, and death.