Nālandā. Clay sealing of Kumāragupta II.
| Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Object ID | OB00048 |
| Title | Nalanda Clay Seal 1 of Kumaragupta III |
| Subtitle | |
| Inscription(s) | IN00053 |
| Child Object | |
| Parent Object | |
| Related Objects | OB00049 OB00050 |
| Responsibility | |
| Author | |
| Metadata recorded by | Dániel Balogh |
| Authority for metadata | |
| Metadata improved by | Dániel Balogh |
| Authoriy for improved | |
| Description | |
| Material | Clay / terracotta |
| Object Type | Seal |
| Dimensions: | |
| Width | 9 |
| Height | 11.5 |
| Depth | |
| Weight | |
| Details | Impression of an oval seal, clearly marked by a border. The upper field (slightly less than half of the whole and separated from the inscription by a double line) bears an effigy of Garuḍa facing front, with outspread wings. He has a human face with thick lips and a Vaiṣṇava mark on his forehead. A hooded snake is coiled aroung his neck. A circle and a crescent - probably the Sun and the Moon, but possibly a cakra and a śaṅkha - appear in the field to his proper right and left respectively. See Bhandarkar 1981: 356 for some more details. This first specimen is intact and quite well preserved, but smaller in size and executed less expertly than the other specimen (OB00049). |
| History | |
| Created: | |
| Date | |
| Place | Nālandā |
| Other ancient history | |
| Found: | |
| Date | |
| Place | |
| Other modern history | |
| Latest: | |
| Date | |
| Place | Archaeological Museum, Nālandā |
| Authority | |
| Details | Probably now in the Archaeological Museum, Nalanda. Discovered in 1927-28 during the excavation of Monastery site 1 at Nālandā along with OB00034, OB00044, OB00046, OB00047, OB00049 and OB00052. All these seals are clay impressions that seem to have been baked accidentally in a monastery fire. |
| Notes | Found together with OB00049, which bears an identical legend. The legend on OB00050 is also identical. |