Torana Goddess in the Buddhist Pantheon

ArputhaRani Sengupta
Synopsis
Torana in Sanskrit denotes a ceremonial gateway. The earliest torana gateways in
Central India leads to unusual type of hemispherical mortuary monument called
stupa. Stupa 1 at Sanchi is surround by circular stone railing made of plain
sandstone crossbars inserted through posts held by copingstones. The four
sculptured gateways at four cardinal points of the massive parclose is the best
preserved classic type. The Cross-Quarter moments scored by the gateways can
be interpolated as the midway points between the Solstices and Equinoxes
measured in degrees along the ecliptic. The detached torana of Sanchi Stupa 3 in
situ is one of the earliest Buddhist monuments that abruptly closed down due to
change in funerary customs. The matchless torana gateway and part of the carved
railing with Roman type of medallions and narrative relief from Bharhut are now
in Kolkata Indian Museum. The goddess leads the way to the next world through
the torana. Among various forms Gajalakshmi lustrated by elephants is
acknowledged first on Buddhist torana. Notably auspicious Lakshmi unified with
torana is revered by Hindus. Torana festooned with significant details is a distinct
cultural marker. After several generations torana facade of aedicule on Hindu
temples evolved from the new territorial behavior in South and Southeast Asia.
Accepted as auspicious sign of the goddess in temples, crematoriums and homes,
torana is a well established system in civic and religious monuments.
Gajalakshmi installed on the torana gateway to several cremation grounds is
known as Swargadwara the Gateway to Heaven in Puri, Orissa.
[Published: Torana Goddess Gateway to Heaven. In: Buddhist Art and Culture.
Symbols & Significance. New Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 2014:155-177, vol. II
Juried Paper: Vienna EASAA 2010]

The reliquary stupa is a royal mausoleum equivalent to the ancient pyramid. At

the core is the womb chamber containing small relic caskets fashioned in stone,
crystal, gold, silver and bronze. Often the casket is inscribed and nested. The
hemispherical stupa monuments in North India usually have a circular parclose.
Like the Stonehenge the sandstone railing with three crossbars and ceremonial
gateways do not stay quiet as one might expect of a dead substance. Instead the
sacred enclosure offer ritual space to follow the movement of immortal in the
galaxy. The spiraling volute terminals link heaven and earth on the three
transverse beams on the Sanchi stupa gateway. The hybrid aquatic makara
terminal carved on the transverse bars of the gateways at Mathura are descriptive
of Makara Torana. Nature spirit called yaksha escort makara surrounded by lotus
of rebirth (fig.1). As integral part of yaksha iconography a perpetual being
sporadically emerge from the mouth of the makara (fig.2). The architrave across
the richly carved gateway is the horizon that leads to the reliquary mound at the
centre. The navel, like hub of a potter’s wheel, is the still point of the spinning
world. Buddha touching the earth at the moment of enlightenment is the
quintessence of eternal passage kept alive by the relationship with primordial
earth mother. The hemispherical stupa likened to cosmic mount Meru is the
navel or prthivi-nabbhi of the expectant mother earth, which like the Ompholos
of Delhpi is in the form of ‘linga’ suggestive of regenerative force (fig.3,4). The
colossal monolithic column usually erected by the side of a royal tumulus
forcefully emphasize resurgence.

1. Makara and Immortal, Sandstone, 22.5 x 73 x 17 cm, , 2nd century AD

Sonkh, Mathura: Mathura Museum (So IV.37)
2. Makara torana, Limestone, Amaravati stupa, Andhra, 2nd century AD
The stupa as the cosmic womb it is the gateway to heaven and earth and
together with the images produced on the monument recreates life. Winged
human spirits hovering above the funerary mound reflect belief in afterlife
common among Celts, Greeks and Egyptians. In Buddhist reliefs the moon
goddess now worshiped as Purnima and Maha Lakshmi is personified as the
vessel of ambrosia and the tree of life. Chanda Yakshi the moon goddess linked to
the sacred tree holds a branch on Bharhut stupa railing. Really Diana-Artemis’
shrines rose up wherever an elm tree stood. The dynamic trans-cultural influence
in the new Greco-Roman funerary cult is demonstrated by the tree goddess
Salabhanjika on Sanchi torana revered as an ivory statuette of Isis-Venus in
distant Pompeii. During the early Christian era the major adornment of the new
Greco-Buddhist funerary cult in South Asia were Diana the tutelary goddess of
Ephesus, Cappadocian moon goddess Ma of Comana, Hekate of Lagina, Cypriot
Aphrodite-Venus of Paphos and Alexandrian Isis-Nemesis. The goddess
represented in symbolic and anthropomorphic forms is signified by winged
griffin, wheel, swastika, acanthus of regeneration, srivatsa and triratna.

3. Sanchi Tope at Bhilsa, Memorial of devout Buddhists, 1st century AD

Photo Underwood & Underwood 1908
4. Ompholos of Delphi, Navel of earth goddess shaped like Stupa/Tope
Roman copy covered with Phoenician beads
MAKARA TORANA
Buddha gains luminosity/enlightenment in the sacred enclosure. We tend to
draw a circle around anything we wish to enhance or shelter. A ring of stones in
the manner of Stonehenge surround the hemispherical stupa monuments built
on the Circle of Time called Kalachakra, which is fundamental to the concept of
the cosmos and eternity. Correspondence between the planets and the Greco-
Buddhist funerary monument is obvious. Kalachakra begins and ends with rising
of new moon in the Tibetan calendar. The full moon (Purnima) and the no moon
days (Amavasa) too merit religious observances. Buddha Purnima (May 21, 2016)
celebrates birth, death and enlightenment of the Buddha. It is followed by 11th
day of the waning moon called Vaikunta Ekadasi in the Hindu lunar calendar. 1
On Ekadasi the crescent moon boat carries the aspirant directly to moksha or
paradise. The ceremonial gateway signifies the importance of astronomy in the
practice of the astrological religion. Torana is invariably called Makara Torana.
Makara means Capricorn and Sankranti means transition. Makara Sankranti
denotes the sun reemerging after a dark period underwater. In mid January
Makara Sankranti celebrates the celestial event of Winter Solstice in the northern

1 The annual event of Vaikunta Ekadasi in the Hindu lunar calendar was on May 29, 2015.
hemisphere when the sun begins its six-month long ascent or Uttarayana with
renewed life force. The moment marks the transition of the Sun from Sagittarius
to Capricorn. Astrological Hindu religion consists of several pseudoscientific
systems of divination that helps to understand obscure beliefs manifest in early
Buddhist art and culture. Legendary Bishma on the battlefield of Mahabharat
chose to reach heaven on the auspicious moment of Makara Sankranti. Based on
the premise that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and
events in the human world Makara Sankranti is religiously observed throughout
India. Makara-Capricorn sign migrated from ancient Babylonian water god Ea
known as ‘Antelope of the Seas’. In another tradition youthful Pan transformed
into a sea goat (Aigipan) to escape demonic Typhon, a deadly enemy of the
gods.2 When youthful of goat god Pan is isolated from the myth, the idea of
metamorphosis to escape death is reminiscent of countless resurrected dead that
populate numerous Buddhist stupa complexes.

5. Chaityagriha, Schist 42 x 18 x 5.8 cm, Butkara, Swat Valley, 2nd century AD

Pakistan Archaeological Museum (3217)
6. Voluptuous maidens at the torana , Ivory plaque, Begram, Afghanistan
7. Indian Venus, Ivory mirror handle, H.25cm, 20-50 AD (After Maiur 1938)
Villa of Indian Statuette, Pompeii, Naples: Museo Nationale
The ruling planet of Capricorn is chthonic Saturn connected to the
underworld and its ruler Dis Pater, the Roman equivalent of Pluto and Indian
Yama called Dharmaraja in the Buddhist cult. Yama Raja’s noose is the golden
sickle hour of Saturn. On the day of Makara Sankranti sun visits for a month the
house of his son Saturn, the lord of Makar Rashi. Puranas reveal that despite the
conflict between the two, the son carries forward the vision and continuity of the
family. Perhaps such was the reason for Augustus Caesar embracing Capricorn as
his emblem and birth sign well known in his silver coins. In Gemma Augustea

2 Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 196: When the gods in Egypt feared the monster Typhon, Pan bade
them transform themselves into wild beasts the more easily to deceive him. Jove later killed
Typhon with a thunderbolt. The word Typhon means insolence and pride according to Plutarch.
Capricorn within rounded lozenge points at the cosmically ordained divine
Augustus enthroned as Jupiter. The double layered Arabian onyx cut by
Dioscurides os one of his disciples in early first century is now in Vienna
Kunsthistorisches Museum (19 x 23 cm). The gem reveal that Capricorn ruled by
Saturn exiled to the ‘Isles of the Blessed’ by his son Jupiter is metaphor of
departed Augustus (63BC–14AD) and his adopted son Tiberius the legitimate
successor. While Victory crowns Augustus as Chakravarti the ruler of universe,
the personified world at his feet holds cornucopia of abundance. Analogous group
sculpture from Takht-i-Bahai represents a Roman Prince enthroned with Tyche
holding cornucopia suggesting the fruitfulness of the earth be means of such
celestial union (fig.5).3 Allegory and symbols in Buddhist art and Kushana coins
fuse religious purpose with political propaganda of immortal kings.

8. Goddess holding mirror, Stamped pottery base, 1st-2nd century AD

Arikmedu, Virampatnam, Puducherry
9. Sivayasa ayagapata, Mathura, Sandstone, 53.0 x 71.0 cm, 1st century AD
Lucknow, Lucknow State Museum (].255)
The reverence to thousands of Buddha considered as ‘One’ has effectively
suppressed or ignored the importance of rituals centered on the Divine Female
and Sacred Marriage as key to open the gates to immortality. Buddha is a generic
term to describe as person who has attained enlightenment or luminosity
indicated by the halo of transcendence. Originally in the mystical practice of
alchemy search for immortality was a yogic transformation of the vital-force.
Consequent attainment of immortality is by means of the Circulation of Light
received from the goddess when the corporal body is transformed into eternal
being. The Buddha gains luminosity and wisdom under the radiant Maha (Mega)
Lakshmi and by transmutation attains immortality. As her surrogate the deva or
divine being in his royal sepulcher lives in perpetual light among bevy of
devadasi; the fruit of the womb is immortality (fig.6). Another ivory panel from
Begram in the Musee Guimet depicts nude Devakumarika clothed only in
jewellery stand contained by the architrave of the torana. One of the fecund
females in the central portal offers her breast to an infant. An ivory statuette of
Srima Devata referred to as the ‘Indian Venus’ was discovered in Pompeii by
Maiuri in a villa built at the time of Nero (54-58AD). The affiliation to Venus is

3 Enthrone Divine Couple, Schist, 27 x 24.7 x 10.3 cm, , 1st-2nd century AD London: British

Museum (OA 1950-7.26.2)

not only because of her beauty and her provocative state of undress but also due
to the fact that the house was apparently dedicated to the Imperial Cult of
Venus.4 The goddess in the style of Sanchi Salabhanjika is accompanied by two
handmaids each holding a reliquary container (fig.7). In Roman syncretism the
ivory statuette of Salabhanjika worshiped in distant Pompeii might explain The
synthesis of the cult of Isis-Venus. The satuette in the transient style of Sanchi
Stupa I carved by the ‘ivory carvers of Vidihsa’ in Central India dates the curious
monument to first century since Pompeii, home to mystery cults, was brutally
wiped out in 79 AD. The intercontinental sculptor seems to have conceived the
ivory statuette as handle of a mirror used in ritual, which is amply demonstrated
by various images and archaeological remains of ceremonial mirrors. The
goddess appears holding a mirror, and mirror as in ancient Buddhist cult is an
object of worship in goddess cult today (fig.8). Mirror is synonym to radiant
wheel and Gajalakshmi that appeared suddenly at the very center of the
subcontinent engirdled by the vast ocean soared heavenward in her emblematic
standard erected in the sacred landscape radiating her glory from the lotus
capital. The lotus pedestal is the sacred emblem holding aloft her face of glory on
mirror finished monolithic shafts. Gajlakshmi’s arrival is as dramatic and magical
as being churned out of the ocean bringing forth amrita of immortality riding on
exultant conch shell. Among cult objects Sri resides in torana gateway, wish
fulfilling tree, vessel of life, pedestal lamp, pillar of fire, mirror of light, wheel of
health and rebirth and mirrored deer signifying perennial water of nourishment,
all suggestive of creative elements derived from nature and superior wisdom akin
to ancient Egyptians.
The torana of the Buddhist stupa acts literally as a portal of transition that
extends the funerary narrative beyond the Great Boundary. Epigraphic labels on
Barhut railing names the goddesses variously and calls her devakumarika.5 Sri or
Gajalakshmi on the lotus is often referred to in Buddhist texts as devakumarika
associated with northern and southern quarters. Gajalakshmi deployed on the
torana is conceived as the ‘gate of heavenly bliss’ where the goddess receives the
soul and grants immortality. In the relief of Sanchi as well as the Begram ivory
vine creeper as symbol of renewed life frame the figures.6 The image
accompanied by daily rituals is for the renewal of eternal bliss. The sculptural
evidence of heirogamy rests on the fact that with present knowledge of this aspect
it is possible only to give a description of the goddess that governs significant
component of the stupa mound with a table top, the torana being the gateway
through which the immortal enters to consummate his union with the goddess.
An inscribed memorial slab depicts torana gateway in considerable detail bearing
close similarity to the torana of Bharhut stupa (fig.9). The ayagapata dedicated
by Sivayasa illustrates adoration of a stupa framed by pillars. In accordance with
cult rituals illustrated in Bharhut frieze, two dancing girls on the railing are the
earliest depiction of devadasi in the Buddhist cult. At the portal separating life
and afterlife Sri Lakshmi protects not only doors and gateways but also offers
passage to the realm of the immortals implicit in the lotus blossom connected to

4
Corti, E. C. The Destruction and Resurrection of Pompeii and Herculaneum. London, 1951:206.
5
Among the donative inscriptions in Barhut of about 631 more than half are of women. Predominantly
glorifying the goddess in sculpture that is meant to gratify a wish, one wonders ‘what is it?’
6
The vine creeper with bunches of grapes is in particular connected to the funerary art of Egypt and is
derived from Greco-Roman sources via West Asia.
the eternal sun. Deployed on doorways to Buddhist funerary monuments
Lakshmi thus holds in her hands moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and
death. Nirvana can be achieved only through ‘earned merit’, which is sanctioned
by the goddess. Siri Jataka mentions that a lucky person favored by Lakkhi can
acquire various wealth including nirvana: ‘ya ca nibbana-Sampatti sabbam
etena labbhati.’ Bestowal of nirvana is her chief role emphasized by recurring
iconography of the goddess in the Buddhist reliquary mounds and votive
deposits.

10. Torana volutes on architrave, Ivory, Begram, 1st century AD, Paris: Musee Guimet
11. Spiral terminals on torana gateway, Sandstone, Sanchi stupa, 1st century AD
12. Sandstone railing of parclose, Bharhut Stupa, 1st-2nd century AD
Kolkata: Indian Museum
The voluptuous female on the torana are often depicted standing invitingly
within the portals rendered complete with balustrade in ivory carvings that
replicate monumental gateways in stone. In certain ivory panels the female called
yakshi identified as goddess or priestess stand under the torana with curtains
suspended from the arch, a symbol of hereafter. Isis like, goddess suckling an
infant is brought to focus in one panel. The doorways on either side frame female
companions analogous to Isis and Nephthys. Winged griffin bracket supporting
the lower architrave in one of the Begram ivory relief is very similar in style to an
actual ivory bracket from Begram, which corresponds to the voluptuous tree
goddess brackets supporting the architraves of the Eastern Gateway to the Great
Stupa. It suggests that votive offerings to the goddess were in diverse shapes, size
and medium. The tree goddess on Sanchi torana mysteriously manifesting on an
ivory mirror handle in Pompeii is contiguous to the Begram ivory bracket
depicting parrot beaked griffin related to Isis in the Roman world. According to
inscription Sanchi torana carved by “ivory carvers of Vidisha” might have come
from the Near East or Cyprus known for Phoenician ivories for centuries.
Although modern archaeology has located Vidisha as a village near Sanchi stupa,
the actual location of ancient centre of ivory carving is debatable, particularly in
light of multicultural strands that is visible on royal funerary monuments called
the stupa. The Druids, the Essenes and Buddhist monks, Pythagoreans,
Freemasons, Orphics and Gnostics are bound not only by dogmas and vows but
are bound by invisible thread that seek to be unbound by its great spread of inter
connectedness.7

7
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/ipc/ipc14.htm/Oct.1.2009. Arthur Lille observes in India in Primitive
Christianity, that Mithraism honeycombed with Roman paganism was at once Freemasonry and Buddhism.
STRUCTURE OF TORANA
In a world without border the underlying connectivity in the new Buddhist
funerary cult near and far is the astuteness of leading ‘networked brains’. If you
are sailing from Alexandria to the subcontinent, the most efficient was to follow
the course of monsoon winds to arrive first at the Persian Gulf and then to
Barygaza, now Kutchch in Gujarat. The concept of networked brain is not
different from the Roman transportation grids used to arrive at destination by
most direct and shortest way possible, which the Buddhist society also
successfully managed for the first time while charting the course of the Silk Road
across Central Asia to Southeast Asia for the very first time. The ideas gathered
from multiple points provide communication between the crossbars to the
towering gateways. Simultaneously this allowed them to build connectivity
networks for each donor and beneficiary, and to measure the effectiveness of each
network. The most efficiently wired brains of the early Christian period devised
common communication system through the inventive Brahmi script derivative
of Hellenized Aramaic similar to Palmyraen. Its success is enhanced by the mass
communication system of engraved edicts, inscribed labels and donatives, signs
and symbols. Early historic artifacts are referred to as Indo-Greek and the local
Prakrit self promoted by Kanishka as ‘Aryan’ language is confirmed by his
Rabatak Inscription found near Surkh Kotal in Afghanistan in 1993. Egyptian and
Greco-Anatolian tradition of depicting scenes from everyday life was a popular
addition to the cenotaph mounds that are most often communal memorials to the
dead. Celts gathered to sanctify a stupa monument in Sanchi relief wear laced
Roman boots. Conical caps of three men identify Druids familiar with Buddhist
cult glorify one of their own. The vine meander framing the relief is in the
manner of Nebatean and Greco-Egyptian style.

13a. Lenticular crossbars fitted into Vesica Pisces holes

13b. Tenon and dowel joint stone construction
13c. Elliptical archway of torana gateway
An ivory plaque from Begram depicts torana volutes on the architrave of
an arched doorway rather like the triumphal gateway of Rome. However, the
form is derived from wooden prototype (fig.10). Hence it is quite different from
the predictable keystone arch or corbelled arch of offset stone. The architectural

Chapter X. The Essenes, 1909, p.171. Arthur Lillie was a soldier in the British Army in India. While there,
he became a Buddhist. His well researched books on religion were poorly received by scholars. After a
century of neglect Arthur Lillie requires serious attention that he deserves. Lille establishes links between
the Essenes and Buddhists through analytical study of rock cut edicts by a king known now as Asoka the
Great, but who identified himself only as “He who loves the name of God, Beloved of God”. Ushering
literate period in South Asia, the edicts are in Brahmi, a script derived from Aramaic and in one instance bi-
lingual with Greek translation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
elements consist of two sculptured uprights carrying one to three transverse
lintels slightly curved to form elliptical archway (fig.11). The post and lintel of the
gateway is built by stone on stone held by friction and tenon and dowel joint. The
technique of joining stone in the construction of torana demonstrates wood
worker and stone worker working in harmony (fig.12). Stone railing consists of
crossbars with lenticular in section inserted into stone posts demonstrating
skillful but difficult task of fitting Vesica Pisces holes into specifically shaped
beams of massive stone blocks. The almond shaped holes and elliptical archway
were dictated by cult requirement (fig.13a-c). Surrounded by ‘Yakshi Cluster’ the
stupa is the seat of enlightenment and rebirth of life. Enlightenment depends on
wisdom, Sophia, embodied in the living planet, Gaia, the realization of which is
nirvana or union with the divine. If yakshi are celestial deities in the sky
Budevi/Prthivi correlated with Gaia girdled by the Ocean is the supreme yakshi
that dances through the sky and yet remains stable support to witness
illumination of the Buddha. Stupa is nabbhi of the goddess.8 The trans-cultural
apotheosis and cult worship of the Scythian rulers that were Greek in culture and
Semite in script indicate that myths and symbols undergo transformation in
mystery religion of the early Christian era. Later assimilated as Vishnu's consort
and Hindu goddess of good fortune Lakshmi first presided over Buddhist
reliquary mounds.

14. Eastern gateway, Bharhut stupa, 1 century CE (After Cunningham)

15. The Royal Arch of Heaven, Masonic Astronomy on the Gateway Arch
If the powerful union of divine spirits residing in the reliquary stupa is
coupled with the purity of intent enhanced by rituals, it is believed that the
hemispherical stupa destroy negative forces and to transmit important benefits to
the country and its population, promoting harmony, prosperity, longevity, good
health, and peace. Thus the mortuary stupa translates as an icon of worship.
Unlike most other stupa, the triumphal gateways as symbol of the torana goddess
complete the design of sepulcher architecture at Bharhut and Sanchi. Sculptured
reliefs on the entire available surface of the gateway and stupa enclosure are
analogous to painted vignettes in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. The pictorial
compositions depict multi-tiered mansions in heaven and scenes modeled on
daily life, cult rituals, esoteric symbols and domestic bliss similar to the Pyramid
texts. In one of the relief on Eastern Gateway of Sanchi I, Maha Mayadevi reclines
8
Nabhi in Sanskrit means the navel.
on the upper reaches of a multi storey block awaiting to receive in her womb the
amorphous being hovering above imaginatively conceived as a white elephant on
a full moon. It is mirror image of Isis hovering above Osiris as a kite to conceive
Horus, the youthful sun god of “infinite radiance” and “eternal life”, a name
inherited by Amitabha Buddha.9 Meanwhile, the rock cut chaitya, which is
reputed residence of yakshi is replicated in sculptured relief on the torana. The
mansion of the goddess in the sky depicts sophisticated arcaded vaults and
fortified facade recalling the past glory of Tyre or possibly the vanished cities of
Carthage on the Mediterranean coast.

14. Padmalaya, Architrave of Southern gateway, Sanchi Stupa I, 1st century AD

15. Gajalakshmi, Bharut stupa, 1st-2nd century AD, Kolkata: Indian Museum
16. Salhabanjika tree goddess, Sanchi stupa gateway, 1st century AD
Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum
Cultures of knowledge from the global field invite us to reconsider early
Buddhist material culture from a wider perspective, through a transcultural and
reciprocal approach not limited to the confines of the subcontinent at the farthest
reaches of the then known world. At the dawn of a new era many separate worlds
converged on Jumbudvipa, the growing population was very mixed. Strabo
(64/63 BC– c.24 AD) called India the universal reservoir. Dynamic trans-cultural
influence brought innovations in the funerary cult that transformed the entire
face of South Asia. Rush for afterlife generated variety of graves mushrooming
like the condominiums of today. Salabhanjika, the tree goddess is Dwara-
Lakshmi whom Coomaraswamy identifies with Queen Maya the mother of
Buddha, stating that the goddess resides in Sri Linga.10 If the arched gateway is a
bridge, nature is the foundation on the bank of civilization from which we

9
Etymologically Amitabaha means of ‘Infinite Radiance’ (a-mita-abha) and ‘Eternal Life’ (a-mita-ayus).
10 A. K. Coomaraswamy, History of Indian and Indonesian Art, 1965:31
proceed. The hemispherical dome of the stupa, like the pyramid, contains
corporal remains in reliquary containers buried in a stone chamber deep inside
the centre and is covered with cladding of hewn stone blocks fitted together in
courses. The geometrical projections in early Buddhist stupa incorporating
swastika and other symbols occur along with the archetypal image of cardinal
gateways designating transition between the physical and spiritual space. The
squared fencing off of what may be defined as a sacred plinth on the crown of a
stupa with a conical tier of umbrella ascending to heaven apparently developed
on the foundation of Egyptian pyramid. A reliquary mound designed as the
receptacle of the body (Ka) receiving offerings, the spirit or soul (Ba) residing on
the crown of the stupa finds union with the divine female signified by series of
discs pierced by the erect shaft keeping it in place.11

19. Ascent to Heaven and Wheel of Dharma, Bharhut stupa, 1st century AD
20. Sripada, Gateway to Sanchi Stupa I, 1st century AD
In Sanchi the elliptical archway artfully combined with horizontal lintel
conveys the concept of the Royal Arch of Heaven in Freemasonry based upon
astrological principles, without which it is impossible for any one to fully
understand the symbology of the stupa. While astrological references in Buddhist
stupa are implied there exists semicircular Royal Arch complete with astrological
symbols on the Royal Portals of medieval church in France having uncanny
resemblance to the chaitya. The radiate plan of stupa mound and the scroll of
living water in the design of torana gates placed in ordered quarters and crowned
by radial wheel (Sanchi, Great Stupa I) or acanthus (Bharhut) as symbols of
rebirth perpetuate the myth of king as eternal sun, whose divine essence exude
well being to all (Fig.14). Behind the Great Sanchi Stupa I, a smaller
hemispherical Stupa 3 built in brick to the southwest of the Great Stupa I has
only one carved gateway on the south, which probably indicates the most
important location for the gateway. The South gateway of the forefathers,
directionally is symbolic complementary to North gateway of gods residing in the
realm of perpetual light. It has just a single umbrella disc in stone as symbol of
the sun.

11In Egyptian culture Ba is the soul/spirit while Ka is the double of a person represented by a
statue. The living image protected by goddess Isis-Hathor needs to be nourished by various
offerings.
 In Freemasonry the summer solstice is represented as the key-stone of the
Royal Arch of Heaven, and has the astronomical sign of the sun inscribed upon it,
showing that on the 21st of June the sun is exalted to the summit of the arch.
Furthermore, this exalted point of 0° Cancer where it should be on the cusp of
Gemini/Cancer, as this is the precise point that the Sun “exalts” itself and
symbolically represents the gateway of the life transiting from material world to
the ether realm (Fig.15). The pyramid of receding discs above the hemispherical
mound of the Great Stupa is planetary steps leading to heavenly sky that unites
the well-known ‘twin-symbol’ sun and moon with the planets. The Royal Arch of
the stupa rotating 180° is but a geometrical projection in three dimensions, and
therefore gives nothing more than the relative positions of the various
constellations and signs of the celestial dome. The splendid pillar that have come
to be associated with the stupa, is also an important symbol in Freemasonry that
assumed extraordinary form and significance in the Buddhist cult nearly a
millennium after the Temple of Solomon was built and a millennium before
Royal Portals were carved in Medieval France.12 It is not a coincidence that the
structural expedients of Romanesque church rest on the rock-cut Buddhist
Chaitya.
SYMBOLS OF TORANA GODDESS
A rectangular doorway combining elliptical archway to a solid dome holding
reliquary caskets at the centre seemed right for this purpose. Here, offering
entrance to a new civilization, a trabeate-and-arch torana did seem right for the
reliquary mound. An absolutely original shape, such as the Egyptian pyramids or
obelisks, seemed to be the basis of the great memorials that have kept their
significance and dignity across time. Envisioned and designed through the
wisdom of ages, the arch within a rectangle could be a triumphal gateway for the
new age as the triumphal arches of classical antiquity were for Romans. The
unique gateway to the stupa, besides being a monument of lasting significance, is
a landmark of the short lived Buddhist cult. The free standing gateway of Sanchi
Stupa 3, which was more symbolic than practical gesture, is a variation based
upon the original Roman Arch design. The shape allows itself to support its own
weight while allowing large space for sculptured relief that is integral part of
funerary rituals and consecration of the stupa for efficacy. The large stone
edifices with intricate carvings seem more symbolic after we analyze the
astrology, geometry, and numerology. Lustration of Gajalakshmi in her
Padmalaya filled with lotus of rebirth on the architrave opens the Southern
gateway of Stupa I to the realm of immortals (fig.16). Installed at the point of
entry and exit the goddess is gathers together the age-old belief in afterlife.
Among the vast array of celestial female on the funerary monuments the
enduring icon of Gajalakshmi lustrated by royal elephants in a medallion on
Bharhut railing pillar is part of Greco-Buddhist mystery cult (fig.17). Gajalakshmi
synchronal to Isis-Aphrodite is the only yakshi that has historic relevance in the
Hindu pantheon today. The goddess coexisting with tree goddess Salhabanjika
weaves world mythologies together into a cohesive progression in order to
understand qualities of the Divine Female on the stupa monuments in Sanchi,
Bharhut and Pitalkhora (fig.18).

12
Allegory of St. Peter the Apostle as keeper of the gate to heaven, a ‘soul gateway’ is well known in
Egyptian culture.
 The goddess enshrined and worshiped in the chaitya griha as radiant
wheel or Srichakra is the eternal Wheel of Fortune (fig.19). The goddess resides in
the stupa and chaitya is evidenced by religious belief sustained by inventive
iconography; sacred footprints or Sripada of the goddess appear in stupa frieze
and stele in the same way that the auspicious goddess is invited to one’s residence
today (fig.20). Sripada stele commemorates the dead and surrender afterlife of a
beloved in the care of the goddess. The inscribed Bikshu Phagula Sila is an
ayagapatta dedicated for the veneration of all the followers (‘arahata pujaye’) by
an adherent identified as a monk (Bikhu) named Phagula. Carved on the votive
slab are various symbols of the goddess including acanthus and sprig of mango
leaves tied into auspicious reef-knot. Auspicious footprints of Lakshmi at times
inscribed with sacred signs such as Swastika, Triratna and Srivatsa having
mirrored S-curves denote light and water, elements that are fundamental to life.

21a. Ancient votive terracotta, Ruhuna, Southern Sri Lanka, 1st-2nd century AD
21b. Hellenistic terracotta wheels, Greek funerary votive, 1st-2nd century AD

22. Triratna-Srichakra icon, Detail, Sanchi Stupa I, 1st century AD

23. Triratna-Srivatsa altar, North torana of Sanchi Stupa I, 1st century AD
Coins datable to early centuries of Christian era with conch (Shankha) and
fish symbols of goddess Srilakshmi are reported from Dwarawati in Thailand.
These ancient coins connected to Buddhist cult reveal links between South and
Southeast Asian countries known as Suvarnabhumi (Land of Gold). The term
Dwaravati derives from coins which were inscribed Sridvaravati in Sanskrit
(Dwar-door/gate).13 Dwaravati is descriptive name of the goddess who presided

13
“Ancient Coins Reveal Links with Southeast Asian Countries.” Paper presented by Devdatta Angal,
Secretary of Numismatic Society of Maharashtra (Pune), Centenary Conference of the Numismatic Society
of India, held at the Banaras Hindu University. Sakaal Times, Tuesday, January 12, 2010.
http://www.sakaaltimes.com/sakaaltimesbeta/20100112/5022199551109608589.htm/13Oct2011
over gates and all kinds of doorways including the torana of stupa. The Disc and
Ringstone, and ancient Ruhuna coins from southern Sri Lanka as symbols of
Sridvaravati are very similar to votive Hellenistic Wheel in terracotta (fig.21a,b).
‘Sridvaravati’ identifies the torana goddess as Srilakshmi. Dwaravati in Central
Thailand was an important gateway to the port. Dvaraka located in the Jamnagar
District of Gujarat at the confluence of the Gomti River in the Gulf of Kutch too
was once called Dwarawati in Buddhist Jataka. Kamboja–Dwaravati was the
ancient Silk Road used till early medieval era. It connected the Kamboja Kingdom
in today’s Afghanistan and Tajikstan reaching Dwaraka via Pakistan to reach
other major ports in Gujarat. The road was the second most important ancient
caravan route linking India with the west. Goods from China exported by sea to
southern India and Sri Lanka passed through Dwarawati in Thailand to reach
Syria, Alexandria and Rome. Dwarkawati in Thailand and Dwarka in the
westernmost part of India seem to be connected to the goddess cult in a
mysterious way. This is demonstrated by the reverence accorded to Srichakra
(Dharmacakra) known as Mon Wheel of the Law in the art of Dvaravati period
(circa 8th century AD).14

24. Triratna glyph, Bharhut stupa, 1st century AD

25. Srivatsa hieroglyph-Gajalakshmi, Pallava relief, 8th century AD
26. Wheel of Fortune, Torana of Great Stupa 1, Sanchi, 1st century AD
27. Wheel of Fortune, Torana of Great Stupa 2, Sanchi, 1st century AD
Among symbolic representation of the goddess, the most ambiguous is
triratna dedicated to thousands of Buddhas. In its abstract rendering triratna has
been variously identified with hoof or horns of bull and iconographically
representative of the ‘Buddha, Sangha (congregation) and Dharma (faith)’
(fig.22). The ‘Buddha’ supplanting the goddess of wisdom in the 20th century
interpretations has meanwhile effectively usurped sacred symbols of SriLakshmi.
The ubiquitous Triratna is frequently combined with Wheel of Fortune
(Srichakra), Lotus of Rebirth and Srivatsa (fig.23). In Bharhut and Amaravati
stupa triratna is described as a symbol composed of two fish enface on a wheel
supporting a lotus blossom, indicating fish, wheel and lotus is a glyph denoting
the qualities of the goddess (fig.24). In a rare Pallava relief demonstrates that
Srivatsa is hieroglyph for Gajalakshmi (fig.25). The innovative iconography of
goddess lustrated by elephants incorporates lotus of rebirth and water of life and
the apparently charming motif of a lotus pond combines both the signs so
effectively. Auspicious footprints of Lakshmi at times inscribed with sacred signs

14
Dvaravati period characterizes power exercised by Dwaravati rulers in the central Thai city of Nakhon
Pathom.
such as Swastika, Triratna and Srivatsa having mirrored S-curves denote light
and water, elements that are fundamental to life. The “Buddha” supplanting the
goddess has meanwhile effectively usurped these symbols. The reverence to
thousands of Buddha considered as ‘One’ has effectively suppressed or ignored
the importance rituals centered on Female Power and Erotic Coupling essential
to open the gates of immortality.

28. Lamp, lotus and grieving woman, Sandstone, Sarnatha, 1st century AD
New Delhi: National Museum
29. Commemorative pillar-Winged griffin stele, 1st century AD
Allahabad: Allahabad University Museum, India
30. Simurgh, 1st century CE, Udayagiri Cave 5, Jaya-Vijaya Gumpha, Orissa
DEVAKUMARIKA DWARALAKSHMI
The gateway to the funerary monuments crowned by the Wheel of Fortune glorify
the propitious goddess. Sculptured relief depict mortals and celestials offering
supplication to the goddess of retribution known as ‘Sri Chakra’ synonymous to
‘Dharma Chakra’ (fig.26). Sri Chakra is worshiped as the Wheel of Fortune crown
the unprecedented pillar monument in South Asia (fig.27). Till now this
significant symbol has been overlooked along with a long list of symbols
associated with the mother goddess effortlessly transformed as the divine consort
of deified immortals. The various symbols of the goddess are the Pot, the spouted
Situla, Mirror, Lamp, Flame, Throne, Radial Wheel, Solar Wheel, Moon, Tree,
Lotus, Rose, Palm Branch, Fig, Wine, Bread, Water, Lion, Winged Griffin, Cobra,
Makara-Fish, Crocodile, Dwarf, Bird with Human Head (Ba), Dream, Womb and
Vulva, Breast, Phallus, Children, Milk, Gold, Unknotted Cord, Girdle, Heart,
Carnelian and Turquoise Beads, Emblematic Jewellery and even Mourning since
the Great Goddess is the ultimate redeemer of sorrow (fig.28). These ancient
symbols are skillfully woven into Buddhist iconography consistently, which
irrevocably lead us to goddess Isis-Venus worshipped extensively in the Roman
Empire. What we encompass in the path of early Buddhist art is amazing
revolutionary sequence of cognition, myths, rituals and paradigms. Among
animal forms of the goddess, the winged griffin and multi headed cobra are
derivative.15 Sculptured in the round, winged griffin with lions body and head of
an eagle, gazes from the top of torana gateway of Sanchi Stupa I, while adorsed
griffins crowning the pillar posts support the architraves in Bharhut stupa. A rare
griffin stele depicts capital of pillar crowned by adorsed griffins seated on lotus
capital (fig.29). The griffin recurs in sculptured relief in various cult centers as
widespread as Sanghol in Punjab and Udayagiri Cave in Orissa(fig.30).

15
See Chapter 9, In Search of Simurgh.
31a. Celts consecrate reliquary stupa, North Gateway, Sanchi Stupa I, c.50 AD
31b. Celts blowing on carnyces, Detail, North Gateway, Sanchi Stupa I, c.50 AD
32. Personified horse enters abode of eternity, Amaravati stupa, 2nd century AD
London: British Museum

33a. Torana goddess, Stupa frieze, Amaravati, 2nd century AD (After Cunningham)
33b. Torana goddess, Stupa frieze, Amaravati, 2nd century AD (After Cunningham)
34. Tree of Life Dwaralakshmi, Architrave north gateway, Sanchi Stupa, 1st century AD
The Provincial Greco-Roman style of art and architecture generated
exclusively for apotheosis of the ‘Buddha’ is unabashed about its obsession with
permanence and grandeur. In this groundbreaking development of creativity
most awesome position of maximum efficacy is observed in the reliquary mounds
and everything else was contingent to it. Artists can be identified as drawing from
the antique, frequently using Roman device of carving out space by means of
human figures in the foreground depicted in rear-view. Working simultaneously,
everywhere in the subcontinent the sculptor in major funerary centers register
stylistic variations, creating always within Greco-Roman parameters. Further, the
Celts were tree worshipers much in evidence in the Buddhist cult. On the north
gateway of Sanchi stupa Druids wearing conical caps consecrate the torana of a
stupa and perform rituals to the accompaniment of drums and carnyces. The
group of Celts wearing laced Roman boots typify this cross-cultural blend in two
millennia old Greco-Buddhist Mystery Cult (fig. 31a). Vine meander in Greco-
Nebatean and Egyptian style frames the consecration scene in which two men
blow on Celtic carnyces (fig. 31b).16 Apparently Greco-Romans and Celts from
afar gathered together in South Asia to built and consecrate funerary monuments
to glorify one of their own. The Gallic Celts who tapped the main supply of silver
seem to have had a hand in the mysterious buried hoards of silver punch-marked
coins found in various ancient sites in South Asia. In antiquity, silver sacred to
the Moon and Celtic tutelary goddess on the Iberian peninsula of Spain merged
with various moon goddesses including most certainly the new Chanda Yakshi in
Bharhut stupa.

35a. Nourishing tree, Bharhut stupa, 1st-2nd century AD (After Coomarswamy).

35b. Tree goddess with nourishment, Stupa relief, Sri Lanka, 1st century AD
35c. Sycamore goddess Isis with nourishment, New Kingdom Egypt (1353-1336 BC)
Among number of musicians playing different types of instruments one
plays on pan pipe and other a West Asian harp. Towering behind two rows of
musicians is a stupa within enclosure with double staircase and entered through
two tiered torana with scrolled volutes. Architectural details indicate that despite
close similarity to Stupa 3 the representation in the relief is neither Stupa 3 nor
Sanchi Stupa I. In another instance, the regal caparisoned horse entering a torana
gateway recalls similar device on the Arch of Titus in Rome (81 AD), a
posthumous memorial to Emperor Titus (d. 70 AD). It was the age of
personification and it is likely that the rider less horse in numerous “Great
Departure” stele depicts an immortal entering the abode of eternity accompanied
by celestials (fig.32). The accompanying male holding a ceremonial sun-shade
may be identified as Eos-Dawn. Iconographically the rider less horse is the vital
sign of the “immortal” being ushered into the domain of the goddess signified by
the torana. Here the image of a horse in regal trappings is shadow of substance
that is absent or no longer present in its earthly body. The image of the horse
implies absence as well as presence so that image as well as its shadow are
evocative, succeeding in activating life even if the image no longer resembles the
living human being. The metamorphoses takes place in the supernatural arena of

16
The Celtic carnyx is a bronze trumpet found in Spain, Germany and Wales. Recently, in 2004, among
Gallic war treasure 470 objects discovered in southern France were five almost complete carnyx found
during a dig at Naves in a ditch hollowed out of a Gallic-Roman temple. The carnyx are long, bronze tubes,
measuring more than two metres long, have flange on the end, four of which bear the head of a wild boar,
the fifth a snake. The Druids, Buddhist monks, Freemasons and Orphics are Gnostics bound not only by
dogmas and vows but by invisible thread that seek to be unbound by its great spread of inter connectedness.
the torana goddess who guards the mortuary mound and like Kali is willing to
behead enemies who dare to violate the reliquary stupa (fig.33a,b). There is a sub
text to the iconography of goddess holding severed head since self beheading as
ultimate offering to the goddess was a hoary practice, offering oneself to be
nourished by the goddess ensured eternal bliss in her immortal realm (fig.34).
Two reliefs, one from Bharhut and the other from a stupa relief from Sri Lanka
depict personified tree goddess offering food and water (fig.35a,b). The symbolic
image corresponds to depictions of sycamore goddess Isis in Egyptian art
(fig.35c). Literal interpretation of Buddhist texts regarding the life cycle of the
Buddha as the illumined being can be misleading since in any Mystery religion
the core is couched in metaphors and allegory to specifically mislead the
uninitiated. Based primarily on archaeological evidence then, the fledgling
Buddhist cult in the Orient is all about numinous beings thus offering
opportunity to study works of art that are emphatically exotic, which has to be
approached as part of intellectual history that need to be considered along with
cultural, institutional and scholarly context.
ENTRY INTO WOBM CHAMBER
In the stone enclosure of the stupa the crossbars connecting the uprights have
elliptical shape having cross section of Vesica Pisces, the fish shaped area
between two overlapping circles. The Vesica Pisces vagina of the goddess literally
gave birth to new ideas and new forms in the subcontinent, practically a vast
island of eternal bliss located at the easternmost region of the then known world.
The Vesica Pisces (vessel of the fish) originated from the ancient Egyptian glyph
(Ru) which is a symbol the vulva or mouth, which is an entrance compared to the
birth canal through which we see the light of day. Looking at it vertically this ‘fish’
or almond shaped lozenge is created by intersecting two circles that have the
same radius. If the lozenge is observed horizontally it resembles a mouth of a pot,
which is personified as the womb, or garbhagriha of the goddess. In the concept
of rebirth the double of a person after leaving the physical world enters this vulva
or mouth as a prelude to rebirth and resurrection. The circle is the Bindu, which
represents the goddess. A state of perfect equilibrium is achieved when a second
sphere of equal dimension is intersected, which demonstrates dual relationship
of god and goddess through the coming together of a male and female in order to
co-create. In early history religion and sexuality exist on a common ground and
share certain emotional, psychological, and even physical goals.

36. Acanthus and lotus Acrotia, Gateway of Bharhut stupa, Kolkata: Indian Museum
The four torana of the Great Stupa of Sanchi supported by the tree goddess
were sculpted in the 1st century AD. These have paired finials on the topmost
crossbar consisting of triratna acroteria. The acroterion on Bharhut is even closer
to the original; acanthus first used by the Greeks in fifth century BC on temple
roof ornament is distinctively Roman (fig.36). In funerary settings the symbol of
acanthus on ornamental block at the apex of Bharhut gateway was once the
symbol of death and rebirth. The gateway to Buddhist stupa called torana is
analogous to torii in Japanese Shinto shrines. Torii consists of rectangular beam
extending beyond the posts on both side and a second crosswise beam a short
distance below the first. Shinto from the Chinese word ‘Shin Tao’ means the
“ways of the gods”. It appeals to mysterious forces in nature and the Sun goddess
Amaterasu progenitor of the ruling dynasty. Taoism and Buddhism speak for
interplay of mutual influences. The yakshi Salabanjika of the remote past is
parallel to the primordial mother goddess the Queen of Immortals in Chinese
Taoist mythology who supported the universe as an immense peach tree in the
Garden of Paradise in the Kun-Lun Mountains of the West. The Way of Tao is to
reconnect with the mother source, to be a fish in the sea or like a bird in the air
and to become aware of the presence of the Tao in everything by surrendering to
the source, to discover the oneness that only gradually unveils itself. Two Chinese
descriptions of Kuan Yin bring her to life, the first from the Buddhist Lotus Sutra
which imagines her as a cosmic being devoted to saving the world through her
wisdom and compassion, the second from the 16th century:
Listen to the deeds of Kuan Yin
Responding compassionately on every side
With great vows, deep as the ocean,
Through inconceivable periods of time,
Serving innumerable Buddhas,
Giving great, clear, and pure vows...
To hear her name, to see her body,
To hold her in the heart, is not in vain,
For she can extinguish the suffering of existence...

She delivers from all the eight terrors,

Saves all living beings,
For boundless is her compassion.
She resides on T'ai Shan,
She dwells in the Southern Ocean.
She saves all the suffering when their cries reach her,
She never fails to answer their prayers,
Eternally divine and wonderful.17

PATTINI DEVI TORANA GODDESS

In Sri Lanka torana is closely linked to Pattini, an important Hindu goddess

worshipped also by the Tamils in South India. Pattini devi consistent with
Kannaki in Tamil epic Cillapdikaram (2nd century AD) is patroness of marital
fidelity. Songs on torana praise Pattini as a faithful wife and describe torana as a
palace for the goddess. It is believed that songs on torana and votive torana
offered to the goddess by devotees bestow well being to all.18 A bronze statue of
Kuan Yin gifted to the British Museum in 1830 by Sir G. Brownrigg, the governor
17
From The Kuan Yin Chronicles by Martin Palmer, Jay Ramsay and Man-Ho Kwok, 2009
18
Songs on the torana from The Cult of the Goddess Pattini by Obeyesekere, 1984: 207
of Ceylon (1812-1822) was identified by Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy (1987-
1947) as goddess Pattini in his book on Bronzes from Ceylon (1914). Heinrich
Zimmer too subscribed to the same identity in The Art of Indian Asia, which was
completed and edited by Joseph Campbell in 1955.19 Torana beaded and tasseled
or embroidered in tissue tapestries is auspicious feature on doorways and takes
the shape of a band instead of an arch across the lintel. In Gujarat and Rajasthan
arched torana embroidered with religious icons accompanied by sacred animals,
birds and flowers invariably feature goddess Lakshmi and the elephant god
Ganesha. Gajalakshmi and parrots are frequently carved on entrance doorways in
Tamil Nadu. Obeyesekere culls from torana songs that torana is decorated with
red and blue coloured flowers and festoons of trailing vine, and that Pattini devi’s
throne is sprayed with water and lamps are placed for the goddess to banish
pestilence.20 In his book The cult of the goddess Pattini has recorded songs on
the torana goddess and the torana, which provide valuable information on cult
and ritual associated with the sacred edifice erected as personification of the
goddess.21

Text 14a

2. O Pattini Devi possessed of great might

Those who believe in you are gathered here (at torana)22

Text 14b

4-5. Various ritual sacrifice (pali) were performed for the torana
7. A royal caste must have gold
For the elephant (Brahman) caste it’s surely gems
The vadiga (merchant) caste must have cloth
The kula (caste) with fields and lands must have ramba torana.23
11. Nine days (of ritual) for royal caste
Seven days for Brahman caste
Five days for merchant caste
Three days for farmer caste
12, 13. A torana is incomplete without a ‘full’ pot (purna kalasa), symbol of
plenty.
Different types of torana are built for 4 castes while singing songs.
14. Shawl fanning was performed for different periods for different caste.24
16. And build the torana for four castes
Respectfully singing these songs
18 Sing the praise of pattini
19. At an auspicious time
Perform dances and construct the ‘opening’ (gaba-womb)
Construct opening of four kinds,
Thus decorate the ramba torana of the farmers.
19
www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/IDD712/Recovered on 15 Dec. 2009
20
Obeyesekere. Songs on the torana, 1984:207
21
Songs on the torana, 1984:203-209
22
Songs on the torana, Text 14a, 1984:203
23
Songs on the torana,, Text 14b:4,5&7, 1984:203-204
24
Songs on the torana, Text 14b:11-14, 1984:.204
 20. Pattini arrives from the plains of the sky.
23. By the torana the dosa (ill effects)
Will leave like ornaments taken off 25
24. For achieving permanent happiness
As if lustrated with ambrosial waters
Place the folded hands on high26

Further songs on the torana

Text 14d

1. The Royal dance arena is as old as the ocean

2. The makara torana is for the ancient royal caste27
5. Construct a seven-tiered torana and make openings therin
And on the sides make tiers and beauteous paintings
Perform processions in honour of the good Pattini
And take the golden anklet and place it there28
6. Light lamps, give offerings, and coins to the priest
Here are humans who are worshipping the goddess
Take the anklet and ready to move
Toward the aturas (deceased); protect them and obtain merit.
9. In the name of the noble Pattini, glorious goddess
I have made a torana palace according to her wishes
And we play music to please the torana
This torana we display to the goddess in her honour29

Text 19b

1. The golden chair of pattini is elaborately decorated

2. Hang canopies around, curtains around, and light torches30

It is well known that torana gateway is erected in stone and masonry or

fabricated in textile and hung on thresholds to invoke protection and blessing of
the goddess. Buddhist legend has it that once children of Rajagriha died of small-
pox and the yakshi responsible for the tragedy earned the name Hariti or ‘thief’, a
metaphor for the ‘devourer’ of children. As an anti-thesis it is said ‘Hariti gave
children to samgha’, meaning that the goddess was transformed and thereby
spared the children for the samgha. Hariti is also known as the ‘Mother of
yaksas’. Numerous stele from Gandhara conjure up the image of Hariti generally
placed near the entrance to a stupa complex. In Gandhara, Hariti is invariably
shown surrounded by a swarm of infants. Ancient Egyptian source demonstrates
that in funerary art infants are body double of the deceased nourished by the
goddess Isis-Hathor. It may be observed that figurative language employed in
reference to Hariti is both literal and symbolic. The application of metaphor in
metalinguistic terms makes an effort to comprehend the ‘Unknown Power’
25
Songs on the torana, Text 14b:16-23, 1984:205
26
Songs on the torana, Text 14b:24, 1984:206
27
Songs on the torana, Further songs on the torana, Text 14d:1&2, 1984:206
28
Songs on the torana, Text 14d:5, 1984:206-207
29
Songs on the torana, Text 14d:6&9, 1984:207
30
Songs on the torana, Text 19b:1&2, 1984:209
expressed in terms of awe tinged with fear. Hariti was appeased by regular
offerings of food on the altar, first placed inside the refectory and later taken out
doors. Sources in Sri Lanka and China describe the stone altar of Hariti shaped
like a lotus with flat circular center to serve as a table. 31 Lotus is a symbol of
rebirth and the lotus goddess linked to water and solar energy is an attribute of
Lakshmi. There is an obvious attempt to integrate a powerful goddess, who
protected the departed through prescribed types of torana with accompanying
rituals in main stream Buddhist cult. The torana as symbol of the vault of heaven
signifies time space continuum of the zodiac ring that the goddess wears as her
girdle. A number of ancient divinities have been either lost or assimilated into
other forms but Gajalakshmi has endured so that ritual practices that centers on
the all pervading cult image of the goddess will reveal the culture of the distant
past. The significance of the goddess may be fully comprehended only if the
various contemporary forms from other Buddhist sites are observed together.
Buddhist cult in early Christian era, if deciphered correctly, can unlock one
of the remarkable journeys to after life. Cutting through a complex web of
misconceptions, astonishing transformations undergone by the Buddha, from
death to rebirth through Immaculate Conception and birth given by tree goddess
Maya/Maia is part of mysteries in human life. In Sanchi Stupa 3 the principal
torana located in the South is trained like a telescope towards the ‘indestructible’,
the circumpolar stars in the north. In after life the astonishing transformation
and renewal of life is also modeled after the sun in its eternal East-West journey.
Both these concepts are combined effectively in the iconography of adorsed lions
facing four quarters of the earth on the Souther gateway of Sanchi Stupa I and the
capital of monolithic pillar from Sarnath, which is the crest of the Government of
India. In the anthropology of religion, the shifting Roman Diaspora in South Asia
demonstrate quest for eternity, which has left behind amazing material culture.
Aiming at moving targets on grounds constantly under flux has brought forth
unique expressions of art and culture under colonialism, immigration and trans-
nationalism. In between migrations and transplantations of cultures that upset
compact structure of old societies, material sources and manpower had to be
manipulated for the best results. In the new internationalism, individuals
disengaged from his social matrix is absorbed in a new religious process and let
unique kind of art whose communication field has a wide reach. Either by
aptitude or choice the individuals belong to the mass movement practiced
utilitarian art with religious and metaphysical purpose that let loose in the
construction fields mass apotheosis. Though created by specially endowed few, as
Plato once thought, art in the early centuries of the Christian era had the power to
subvert society so that the deities of yore still had the power to penetrate the
radiance of the Buddha that strove to fill the human hearts. Art had an assured
status in Buddhist India and it functioned against a larger background which
brought together cultural heritage of the whole world. On the basis of his needs
and priorities conditioned by his belief and his identity within the social group,
the artist had the freedom to choose and to seek resources from the area of
heritage he responded to. The iconography of the goddess in early Buddhist
period is a matter of cognition and can be analyzed by specialized means so that
the different groups under its scheme can be elaborated and organized into a new
31
Slusser, M. Nepali Sculpture — New Discoveries. In: Aspects of Indian Art: Papers Presented in a
Symposium at the Los Angeles. (ed.) Pratapaditya Pal, 1972:104
visual order. Linking up with the tradition of its choice, it has universal
significance in the way it broke through barriers of time and tradition of
chronology in the evolution of new form and style in art history. The many faced
goddess strives for synthesis and moves towards a unitary concept through
mutual influence of its various different trends one upon another. The torana
goddess as gateway to heaven paved the way for a new civilization in virgin land
that came to known as India.