56.Late 1st century abacus with elephants venerating the Rāmagrāma stūpa
- ca. 150–100 BCE
- Bharhut mahācaitya, Satna district, Madhya Pradesh
- National Museum, New Delhi
This architectural element likely served as a pedestal for a seated lion, found atop commemorative pillars marking Stūpa entranceways. On its face is a herd of elephants venerating the Great Stūpa at Ramagrama, where the eighth portion of the Buddha's corporeal remains was interred. The scene reflects the account of the fifth-century CE Chinese pilgrim-monk Faxian, who retold the story of a group of elephants that regularly cleaned the Stūpa with water from their trunks and offered flowers.
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