Miniature Votive Stupa

c. 1000s

Miniature Votive Stupa, c. 1000s. Eastern India, Bihar. Bronze with inlay of semiprecious stones; overall: 29.2 cm (11 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1982.132 Small-scale stupas were modeled on large monuments that contain relics of the Buddha or revered members of the Buddhist community within the solid, dome segment. Such models were made to commemorate a devotional visit to the monument. Four different sacred Buddhist images face each of the four directions: Shakyamuni, Vajrasattva, Maitreya, and Prajnaparamita. The spire consists of thirteen disk-like parasols that refer to the thirteen stages on the path to enlightenment.