Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Dharmachakra
India, Chausa, Shahabad district, Bihar
Not on view
This double-sided spoked wheel is a rare example of a metal Dharma-wheel (dharmacakra), an early Indian symbol for revealed knowledge. While both Buddhists and Jains shared this symbolism, for Buddhists the wheel became the principal metaphor for the Buddha’s teachings and spiritual conquest. As such, the Dharma-wheel was frequently included in scenes of the Buddha’s first sermon and, when represented independently as here, referenced that event. This example has sixteen openwork spokes radiating from the hub. A pair of makaras (mythological sea monsters), with dolphinlike tails, frames the base, and is bracketed by female nature spirits, or yakshis.
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