Section of a Coping Rail

c. 150 BC

Section of a Coping Rail, c. 150 BC. India, Madhya Pradesh, Bharhut, Shunga Period. Sandstone; overall: 30.5 x 122 cm (12 x 48 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1972.366 A coping rail is the top portion of a fence that connects the upright posts. Here, an undulating lotus rhizome blossoms with jewelry, and in the spaces between are scenes from two of the Buddha's past lives. At the left, a man eats a lizard, and then lies about its running off (Godha Jataka); at the right an ascetic performs a Vedic fire sacrifice (possibly the Rajovada Jataka).