The Railing Pillar: The Great Departure of Siddhartha represents the story of Siddhartha’s escape from his life as being a prince and his embarkment on the journey towards Buddhist enlightenment. The creator of this pillar was undisclosed on the display, but it was found in India, Madhya Pradesh, Bharhut and is thought to have been created around the 1st century B.C. The pillar was most likely created as a form of visual storytelling for everyone to be able read and understand the adventure of Siddhartha’s escape from his royal confinements. The pillar seems typical of the art found around India, Madhya Pradesh, Barhut. An example would be the Two Lotuses, from the Bharhut Stupa which was also made in the 1st century B.C. It was similarly carved with a type of sandstone and tells a story, and both sculptures show a similar technique in creating relief and adding detail. The Two Lotuses, from the Bharhut Stupa chronicle the major life events of the Buddha and deities found around the area. The railing pillar is now located at The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, United States. It was originally located in India, Madhya Pradesh, Bharhut. …show more content…
The viewer probably does not see the pillar as it was originally intended because part of the top seems to be missing, and creates an uncertainty to what the entire story could have been. Quite possibly, the separation of the pillar from its original location may have tampered with the artist’s original expression or intention when they first erected the pillar. Perhaps, it was one piece of a greater whole. The pillar is about a meter tall and a foot wide. The story can only be seen on one side of the pillar. The carving was made from sandstone and took mostly likely a stone or rock was used to chisel the details of the