Stambha or pillar also known as suchi in traditional architecture is profusely decorated on stupa sites with decorative and religious motifs. Usually the vedica, the circumambulatory paths, and the sopana, a staircase with these railings, are found on most stupa sites. The two roundels on this pillar bear stylised lotuses while the central roundel has a mythic aquatic bird. It has a fish tail with scales, lion’s hoofs and mane and a crocodile’s mouth. These motifs originated in folk culture and have been absorbed into Buddhist art. There are features from Achaemenid art that are seen on Mauryan (323-185 BCE) and Shunga (4th-2nd centuries BCE) architectures suggesting a link with the Euphrates valley and Hellenistic art.
