Buddhapada or Footprint of the Buddha

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Time Period
C. 11th Century CE, Pala

Location Found
Bodhgaya

Material
Basalt

Number Assigned
Accession No.: B.G.1/ A24213
Indian Museum, Kolkata, West Bengal

 

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This black stone Buddhapada is carved beneath the dome of a votive stūpa, featuring a socket above for the insertion of a chattrāvalī (umbrella finial). The sacred footprint bears auspicious symbols including a wheel (cakra), conch shell, spouted vessel on a pedestal, floral motif resembling the sun, and a crown flanked by a winged male and a female figure. Reverence for the Buddha’s footprints, originating in the Śuṅga period, has continued through the ages

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