ABSTRACT
The Lion capital from Udayagiri and the Antiquity of Sun Worship in Central India
Meera Das and Michael Willis
This article discusses the context of an early lion capital from Udayagiri, now in the collection of the Archaeological Museum, Gwalior. The find-spot of the capital, which dates to the second century BCE, was the low central ridge at Udayagiri, not far from a ruined temple site identified in the present article as belonging to the sun temple Bhaillasvami. This conclusion led to an exploration of the iconography of the lion capital in relation to the sun and the early Indian calendar and astronomical system.
Udayagiri. Reconstruction of the lion pillar with surrounding vedikã.