Medallion 11- Bharhut Series

 

 Medallion Style: Animal

This medallion combines serenity with strength.

At the centre lies a lotus of familiar form, its pericarp steady and still. Surrounding it is a circle of ratnamālā—a necklace of many-stranded beads that radiates elegance, like a jewelled frame for the sacred bloom.

What makes this medallion striking is its outer border: a procession of winged lions (sapaksha-simha). Their bodies are poised in progression, each facing the same direction—the right. Together, they generate the illusion of clockwise movement, a dynamic flow around the fixed stillness of the lotus at the core.

The interplay here is profound. The lotus, symbol of purity and stillness, anchors the medallion, while the winged lions—creatures of myth and strength—imbue it with motion and vitality. The result is a medallion that feels at once grounded and alive, eternal and in motion.

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

Original medallion

Behind the scenes