Bharhut pillar capital, 2nd century BCE. This capital is now located as the top of the right column supporting the main Gateway in the Kolkotta Museum as seen on this modern photograph: <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Gateway_and_Railings_Bharhut_Stupa.jpg" class="image"><img alt="East Gateway and Railings Bharhut Stupa.jpg" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/East_Gateway_and_Railings_Bharhut_Stupa.jpg/220px-East_Gateway_and_Railings_Bharhut_Stupa.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="133" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/East_Gateway_and_Railings_Bharhut_Stupa.jpg/330px-East_Gateway_and_Railings_Bharhut_Stupa.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/East_Gateway_and_Railings_Bharhut_Stupa.jpg/440px-East_Gateway_and_Railings_Bharhut_Stupa.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5859" data-file-height="3545"></a>  <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Gateway_and_Railings_Bharhut_Stupa.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div></div></div></div>. <p class="mw-empty-elt">
</p><ul class="gallery mw-gallery-traditional"><li class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px"><div style="width: 155px">
			<div class="thumb" style="width: 150px;"><div style="margin:15px auto;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bharhut_right_pillar.jpg" class="image" title="Another frontal view"><img alt="Another frontal view" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Bharhut_right_pillar.jpg/77px-Bharhut_right_pillar.jpg" decoding="async" width="77" height="120" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Bharhut_right_pillar.jpg/116px-Bharhut_right_pillar.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Bharhut_right_pillar.jpg/154px-Bharhut_right_pillar.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1357" data-file-height="2108"></a></div></div>
			<div class="gallerytext">
<p>Another frontal view
</p>
			</div>
		</div></li>
		<li class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px"><div style="width: 155px">
			<div class="thumb" style="width: 150px;"><div style="margin:15px auto;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bharhut_right_pillar_front_and_left_side_view.jpg" class="image" title="Front and left side view."><img alt="Front and left side view." src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Bharhut_right_pillar_front_and_left_side_view.jpg/92px-Bharhut_right_pillar_front_and_left_side_view.jpg" decoding="async" width="92" height="120" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Bharhut_right_pillar_front_and_left_side_view.jpg/139px-Bharhut_right_pillar_front_and_left_side_view.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Bharhut_right_pillar_front_and_left_side_view.jpg/185px-Bharhut_right_pillar_front_and_left_side_view.jpg 2x" data-file-width="630" data-file-height="818"></a></div></div>
			<div class="gallerytext">
<p>Front and left side view.
</p>
			</div>
		</div></li>
		<li class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px"><div style="width: 155px">
			<div class="thumb" style="width: 150px;"><div style="margin:15px auto;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bharhut_right_pillar_back_view.jpg" class="image" title="Back view."><img alt="Back view." src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Bharhut_right_pillar_back_view.jpg/91px-Bharhut_right_pillar_back_view.jpg" decoding="async" width="91" height="120" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Bharhut_right_pillar_back_view.jpg/136px-Bharhut_right_pillar_back_view.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Bharhut_right_pillar_back_view.jpg/182px-Bharhut_right_pillar_back_view.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1163" data-file-height="1535"></a></div></div>
			<div class="gallerytext">
<p>Back view.
</p>
			</div>
		</div></li>
</ul><p>The capital has a trapeizoid shape and is decorated on all sides. It has many similarities with other Indian and Hellenistic capitals. 
</p>
<ul class="gallery mw-gallery-traditional"><li class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px"><div style="width: 155px">
			<div class="thumb" style="width: 150px;"><div style="margin:15px auto;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bharhut_capital_restoration.jpg" class="image" title="Extrapolated restoration."><img alt="Extrapolated restoration." src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Bharhut_capital_restoration.jpg/86px-Bharhut_capital_restoration.jpg" decoding="async" width="86" height="120" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Bharhut_capital_restoration.jpg/130px-Bharhut_capital_restoration.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Bharhut_capital_restoration.jpg/173px-Bharhut_capital_restoration.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1546" data-file-height="2144"></a></div></div>
			<div class="gallerytext">
<p>Extrapolated restoration.
</p>
			</div>
		</div></li>
		<li class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px"><div style="width: 155px">
			<div class="thumb" style="width: 150px;"><div style="margin:15px auto;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ionic_anta_capital_at_the_Erechtheum.jpg" class="image" title="To be compared with anta capital design at the Erechtheum."><img alt="To be compared with anta capital design at the Erechtheum." src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Ionic_anta_capital_at_the_Erechtheum.jpg/114px-Ionic_anta_capital_at_the_Erechtheum.jpg" decoding="async" width="114" height="120" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Ionic_anta_capital_at_the_Erechtheum.jpg/171px-Ionic_anta_capital_at_the_Erechtheum.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Ionic_anta_capital_at_the_Erechtheum.jpg/227px-Ionic_anta_capital_at_the_Erechtheum.jpg 2x" data-file-width="525" data-file-height="554"></a></div></div>
			<div class="gallerytext">
<p>To be compared with anta capital design at the <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Erechtheum" title="Erechtheum">Erechtheum</a>.
</p>
			</div>
		</div></li>
		<li class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px"><div style="width: 155px">
			<div class="thumb" style="width: 150px;"><div style="margin:27.5px auto;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pataliputra_capital_front.jpg" class="image" title="Or the Pataliputra capital"><img alt="Or the Pataliputra capital" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Pataliputra_capital_front.jpg/120px-Pataliputra_capital_front.jpg" decoding="async" width="120" height="95" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Pataliputra_capital_front.jpg/180px-Pataliputra_capital_front.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Pataliputra_capital_front.jpg/240px-Pataliputra_capital_front.jpg 2x" data-file-width="610" data-file-height="485"></a></div></div>
			<div class="gallerytext">
<p>Or the Pataliputra capital
</p>
			</div>
		</div></li>
		<li class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px"><div style="width: 155px">
			<div class="thumb" style="width: 150px;"><div style="margin:40px auto;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ashoka_supported_by_his_two_wives_at_Stupa_2_Sanchi_with_reconstituted_pillar_detail.jpg" class="image" title='Occurence of "step pyramid" capital on a Sunga relief at Sanchi.'><img alt='Occurence of "step pyramid" capital on a Sunga relief at Sanchi.' src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Ashoka_supported_by_his_two_wives_at_Stupa_2_Sanchi_with_reconstituted_pillar_detail.jpg/120px-Ashoka_supported_by_his_two_wives_at_Stupa_2_Sanchi_with_reconstituted_pillar_detail.jpg" decoding="async" width="120" height="70" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Ashoka_supported_by_his_two_wives_at_Stupa_2_Sanchi_with_reconstituted_pillar_detail.jpg/180px-Ashoka_supported_by_his_two_wives_at_Stupa_2_Sanchi_with_reconstituted_pillar_detail.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Ashoka_supported_by_his_two_wives_at_Stupa_2_Sanchi_with_reconstituted_pillar_detail.jpg/240px-Ashoka_supported_by_his_two_wives_at_Stupa_2_Sanchi_with_reconstituted_pillar_detail.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4470" data-file-height="2604"></a></div></div>
			<div class="gallerytext">
<p>Occurence of "step pyramid" capital on a Sunga relief at <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Sanchi" class="mw-redirect" title="Sanchi">Sanchi</a>.
</p>
			</div>
		</div></li>
</ul>
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Leiden_University_Library" class="extiw" title="w:en:Leiden University Library"><span title="library based in Leiden, the Netherlands">Leiden University Library</span></a>
</bdi>
Detail of<br><div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px;"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KITLV_87916_-_Unknown_-_Pillar_of_the_Bharhut_stupa_in_British_India_-_1897.tif" class="image"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/KITLV_87916_-_Unknown_-_Pillar_of_the_Bharhut_stupa_in_British_India_-_1897.tif/lossy-page1-220px-KITLV_87916_-_Unknown_-_Pillar_of_the_Bharhut_stupa_in_British_India_-_1897.tif.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="335" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/KITLV_87916_-_Unknown_-_Pillar_of_the_Bharhut_stupa_in_British_India_-_1897.tif/lossy-page1-330px-KITLV_87916_-_Unknown_-_Pillar_of_the_Bharhut_stupa_in_British_India_-_1897.tif.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/KITLV_87916_-_Unknown_-_Pillar_of_the_Bharhut_stupa_in_British_India_-_1897.tif/lossy-page1-440px-KITLV_87916_-_Unknown_-_Pillar_of_the_Bharhut_stupa_in_British_India_-_1897.tif.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3512" data-file-height="5353"></a>  <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KITLV_87916_-_Unknown_-_Pillar_of_the_Bharhut_stupa_in_British_India_-_1897.tif" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>File:KITLV 87916 - Unknown - Pillar of the Bharhut stupa in British India - 1897.tif</div></div></div>