Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c15.s2.t3.9

c15.s2.t3.9

Near Stūpa 7 was found a Vihāra having a large square maṇḍapa of 60', with pillars and cells. The relic-casket found in Stūpa 8 is worth mentioning being the finest and most carefully made unlike the relic-caskets found in other Stūpas which were placed in ordinary small red earthenware pots, those recovered from Stūpa 8 were placed inside a stone casket shaped like a miniature Stūpa, one foot four inches high with tee (i. e. harmikā) and umbrella complete. The tiny umbrella canopy was of stone fixed to the tee with a small iron rod. The casket is made of four separate pieces of stone and the dome is ornamented in relief with the usual garland device. Inside the stone casket was a pottery-made casket of similar shape, 6 inches high, recovered with a pale green glaze. This again contained a copper casket 4 inches high and of similar shape to the last. Within the latter was a small silver casket, 2 inches in height, containing a beautiful little gold reliquary in the from of a Stūpa, 1½ inches high. The latter contained a bone relic, gold lotus and jasmine flowers and a few decayed pearl and coral beads. (Longhurst). [Fig. 221].