Rampurva capitals
 Bull capital at Rampurva, one of the Pillars of Ashoka, 3rd century BCE. | |
  Shown within India  Rampurva capitals (Bihar) | |
| Location | West Champaran district, Bihar, India. |
|---|---|
| Type | Settlement |
Rampurva is an archaeological site in the West Champaran district of the Indian state of Bihar, situated very close to the border with Nepal.[1] It is known for the discovery of a pair of Ashoka Pillars in c. 1876 by A.C.L. Carlleyle.[2][3]
Buddhist signification
Waddell in 1896 suggested that the death and parinirvana of Gautama Buddha was in the region of Rampurva: "I believe that Kusīnagara, where the Buddha died may be ultimately found to the North of Bettiah, and in the line of the Açōka pillars which lead hither from Patna (Pāțaliputra)."[4] Modern scholarship, based on archaeological evidence, believes that the Buddha died in Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh).[5][6][7]
Rampurva bull capital
The Rampurva bull capital is noted as one of the seven remaining animal capitals from the Pillars of Ashoka. It is composed of a lotiform base, with an abacus decorated with floral designs, and the realistic depiction of a zebu bull.
The abacus in particular displays a strong influence of Greek art: it is composed of honeysuckles alternated with stylized palmettes and small rosettes.[8] A similar kind of capital can be seen at the basis of the Sankassa elephant capital. These design likely originated in Greek and Near-Eastern arts.[9]
-
Rampurva bull excavation in 1907 -
Rampurva lion excavation in 1907
See also
References
- ^ "Rampurva". Bihar Tourism. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ "Rampurva". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ Allen, Charles (2010). The Buddha and Dr. Führer: An Archaeological Scandal. Penguin Books India. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0143415743.
- ^ "A Tibetan Guide-book to the Lost Sites of the Buddha's Birth and Death", L. A. Waddell. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1896, p. 279.
- ^ United Nations (2003). Promotion of Buddhist Tourism Circuits in Selected Asian Countries. United Nations Publications. pp. 23–24. ISBN 978-92-1-120386-8.
- ^ Kevin Trainor (2004). Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide. Oxford University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-19-517398-7.
- ^ Elizabeth Lyons; Heather Peters; Chʻeng-mei Chang (1985). Buddhism: History and Diversity of a Great Tradition. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-934718-76-9.;
Fred S. Kleiner (2009). Gardner's Art through the Ages: Non-Western Perspectives. Cengage. pp. 13, 31. ISBN 0-495-57367-1. - ^ "Buddhist Architecture" by Huu Phuoc Le, Grafikol, 2010, p.40 [1]
- ^ "Buddhist Architecture" by Huu Phuoc Le, Grafikol, 2010, p.44 [2]