Medallion 15- Bharhut Series

 

Medallion Style: Plant

Unlike the earlier medallions filled with animals, vines, or multiple motifs, Medallion 15 is striking in its simplicity and serenity.

Here, a large full-blown lotus covers the entire field. Seven successive rows of petals unfold concentrically, each row peeping delicately through the spaces of the row beneath it. At the very core lies the circle of stamens, encircled by the innermost ring of petals, fully visible and perfectly aligned.

The overlapping arrangement of the petals creates a ripple-like pattern, lending the medallion both movement and tranquillity.

For me, while colouring this, I drew inspiration from the lotus’s natural gradient: from pure white at the base, through soft pink, to a deep reddish pink at the tips. This progression felt like an unfolding of the inner self, layer by layer—just as the lotus rises from the mud to blossom in full glory.

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

Original medallion

Behind the scenes