Medallion 20- Bharhut Series

 

Medallion Style: Geometric

This medallion is a masterclass in geometry meeting motion. The field is divided into neat squares by strong vertical and horizontal lines. Within each square rest two half-lotuses, arranged inside half-medallions whose diameters align with the square’s edges, their circumferences just meeting at the top. The spaces between them are delicately filled with utpalas (blue lotuses), creating contrast and flow.

What makes this medallion extraordinary is the way the decorated borders of adjacent half-medallions intersect. Their spirals cross and weave into one another, forming repeating figures known as the tetraskelion—a spiralled variation of the svastika.

The result is not static geometry but an illusion of heaving and whirling energy, as though the medallion itself is breathing in rhythm. This sense of movement transforms a grid into a dynamic meditation on cycles, motion, and interconnectedness.

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

Original medallion

Behind the scenes