Medallion 10- Bharhut Series

  Medallion Style: Plant

This medallion is a study in balance and motion.

At the center, the lotus departs from tradition—its pericarp is adorned with spiral arms that create the illusion of an anti-clockwise whirling motion. Instead of a static bloom, the flower appears alive, dynamic, as though stirred by unseen currents.

I replaced the plain flat inner moulding with a row of alternating small utpala motifs and stepped triangles, introducing rhythm and visual texture.

The outer border is equally captivating. A meandering lotus rhizome springs from an inverted Vase of Plenty (purna kumbha), an ancient symbol of abundance and fertility. At regular nodes, the rhizome throws off sprigs blossoming into lotuses, buds, and leaves—suggesting the continuity of growth. Its slow clockwise movement offers a perfect counterbalance to the anti-clockwise whirl at the center.

Together, the two motions embody the harmony of opposites—the stillness and the swirl, the source and the blossoming.

Information & Reference Image Credit- Remains of Bharhut Stupa in Indian Museum by Arabinda Ghosh

Original medallion

Behind the scenes