Cleveland Museum of Art

Section of a Coping Rail

Date

c. 150 BCE

Medium

sandstone

Culture

India, Madhya Pradesh, Bharhut, Shunga period

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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 catches and kills a lizard to eat it, and then lies about its running off ( Godha Jataka ); at the right an ascetic performs a Vedic fire sacrifice (possibly the Rajovada Jataka ). Known for having excellent vertical climbing abilities, the Indian monitor lizard (godha) is prized for its skin and meat.

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