Essay on The Lion Capital

Submitted By cradman289
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Lion Capital from Sarnath In the Mauryan period, devotion to the study of Dharma was central. Often polished stone columns were erected at places associated with events of the Buddha. Standing well at over thirty-two feet these columns became stations in pilgrimage routes to holy places. Over the years many of these columns have fallen but one that is still in its entirety is the Lion Capital from Sarnath. The Lion Capital is visually a reminder of the spiritual commitment, understanding of symbolism and the importance the study of Dharma (Buddhism) held in the Mauryan Empire both spiritually and in historical content. The Lion Capital stands at Seven feet tall excluding the column height. The size of this sculpture is impressive and is meant to exude power and superiority. A lion is roughly three to four feet high when standing on all fours. The Capital doubles the proportion making then extremely big lions. This portrays a heighten reality, that these are not regular lions but super spiritual, all powerful lions. The lions become something that cannot be placed as a regular animal but yet is still recognizable to all. Making this a statement of the commitment of believing in Buddhism Symbolism in India is key when interspersing Indian art because the Buddha is never pictured. The Capital is composed of three elements. A fluted Bell, an abacus and the upper unit. The fluted bell can be viewed as a lotus flower. The abacus is a large stone wheel at the base of the upper unit symbolizing the “Wheel of the Law” .The upper unit consist of four lions, back to back in the round. The four lions sit alert back to back with their mouths wide open, intended to show the lions in a roaring action. The symbolic representation of the four lion’s roaring is meant to be the Buddha’s preaching of Dharma to the four corners of the world. The lions representing the Buddha. In early Buddhist art the Buddha is not pictured, instead representations of the Buddha are used to tell of events in the Buddha’s life. This specific pillar topper marks the holy site where the Buddha first preached about the doctrine of Dharma. The Capital displays a naturalistic flow articulating the event of the Buddha preaching the wheel of the law, in the four lions roaring on top of the abacus. Now, the Capital is the emblem for modern Republic of India and is still used to represent the wise knowledge above the law. The upper Lion unit of the Capital is a volumetric composition having four lions all sort of uniting to become this supreme lion composed of four heads, four chests
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