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Victoria and Albert Museum
Nagaraja Guardstone

Nagaraja Guardstone, 9th century

Nagaraja Guardstone

9th century · Sculpture · 83 × 37 cm

May one see it?

Yes, receiving visitors

Victoria and Albert Museum

London, United Kingdom

RoomBuddhism, Room 18, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Galleries of Buddhist Art

On public display.

Checked: 7 days ago
In this state since: Sep 25, 2026
Source: The museum's own collection data

On the map Museum page

About the sculpture

Guardstones are traditionally placed at the base of stairs leading to the platform of a dagaba (stupa) in Sinhalese Buddhist architecture. They are usually in the form of nagarajas, subdued snake-deities who now serve the Buddha. The nagaraja is represented holding a flowering stem and a vase of plenty (purnaghata), symbols of fertility. This example lacks the elaborate decorative frame, with makaras (mythological water creatures) and flamboyant foliage, seen on the finest examples, and dates from the end of the Anuradhapura period. It would have been one of a pair, placed at the foot of the stairs leading up to a stupa to guard the reliquary mound and its sacred contents.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Particulars

Accession number: IS.8-1966

In the catalog

Late Anuradhapura Sri Lanka

Sources

Victoria and Albert Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 7 days ago
Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Neighbors at Victoria and Albert Museum

Statuette, Johann Joachim Kändler, late 18th century

design by Johann Joachim Kaendler, manufactured by Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH

Statuette, late 18th century

Figurine, 700-800

Figurine, 700-800

Buddha Sakyamuni, 9th century-10th century

Buddha Sakyamuni, 9th century-10th century

Jina Parsvanatha, Chakravarti Paloja, late 12th century - early 14th century

Chakravarti Paloja

Jina Parsvanatha, late 12th century - early 14th century

Figurine, 1127-1279, or later

Figurine, 1127-1279, or later

Seated Buddha, early 3rd century

Seated Buddha, early 3rd century

Figure, 618-907

Figure, 618-907

Ghiberti: design for a mosaic in the Museum (the 'Kensington Valhalla'), Edward Henry Wehnert, mid 1860s

Edward Henry Wehnert

Ghiberti: design for a mosaic in the Museum (the 'Kensington Valhalla'), mid 1860s

Nagaraja Guardstone · ART WIKI