The Sarnath capital is a pillar capital, sometimes also described as a "stone bracket", discovered in the archaeological excavations at the ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath in 1905.[1] The pillar displays Ionicvolutes and palmettes.[2][3] It used to be dated to the 3rd century BCE, during the Mauryan Empire period,[4][1] but is now dated to the 1st century BCE, during the Sunga Empire period.[2]
One of the faces shows a galloping horse carrying a rider, while the other face shows an elephant and its mahaut.[2]
^Presented as a "Mauryan capital, 250 BC" with the addition of recumbent lions at the base, in the page "Types of early capitals" in Brown, Percy (1959). Indian Architecture (Buddhist And Hindu). p. x.