A SANDSTONE FRAGMENT OF THE WHEEL OF DOCTRINE (DHARMACAKRA)

The Wheel of the Doctrine is one of the earliest iconic and most important symbols of the Buddha before the beginning of the Christian era. Amongst the Buddhist followers in South-East Asia, the Mon people in Thailand actively used this symbol from the seventh to the ninth century. These wheels are carved on both sides and placed on pillars in the vicinity of a stupa. For a complete example in the Museum of Bangkok, see, J. Boisselier, La sculpture en Thailande, Fribourg 1987, pl. 58; J. Guy, Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, New Haven and London, 2014, p. 212, published another complete stone wheel.