Skip to main content

Image / Nālanda "Gedigē" shrine (image house): doorway

Have a question about this item?

Item information. View source record on contributor's website.

Title
Nālanda "Gedigē" shrine (image house): doorway
Creator
de Silva, Preethi
Date Created and/or Issued
2012
Publication Information
Claremont Colleges Library
Contributing Institution
Claremont Colleges Library
Collection
Ancient Cultural Sites and Royal Residences
Rights Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Description
Entrance doorway to the mandapa (vestibule) with a carved architrave with two elephants (dig- gajas) with raised trunks on either side appearing to pour water on a seated figure, the Goddess Gaja Lakshmi holding flowers in her hands; it is sculpted out of the rock. This is a common feature in Hindu temple sculpture. Compare with similar carving in the Gal potha (stone book) in Polonnaruwa. Gaja-Lakshmi is considered the Goddess of the kings, symbolizing her royal powers, since only kings are able to afford elephants.
Type
image
Format
image/jp2
Identifier
acs01567.jpg
http://ccdl.claremont.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15831coll15/id/1672
Subject
Doorways
Sculpture
Time Period
Lacks historical evidence. Possibly 9th-10th century CE (date of an inscription)
Place
Nālanda Gedigē
Nālanda. Mātalē District. Near 48-kilometer post (considered to be at the central point of Sri Lanka).
Sri Lanka
Relation
Ancient Buddhist Sites and Royal Residences in Sri Lanka - https://ccdl.claremont.edu/digital/collection/p15831coll15

About the collections in Calisphere

Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. View our statement on digital primary resources.

Copyright, permissions, and use

If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.

Share your story

Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.

Explore related content on Calisphere: