<p>Yes.
I see that as his birth, enlightenment, first Dhamma sermon, and Parinirvana.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-15T19:56:51.600Z
Thank you for the answer. Could you elaborate on any elements that inform your interpretation? Any thoughts on the text?
William Grobman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-16T07:13:05.697Z
I thought this is pretty elementary. You find these pictures in many temples. However, this seems to be an important archaeological artifact hence worth a lot. Take care of it.
SarathW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-15T19:55:00.110Z
2019-01-15T19:55:00.110Z
SarathW
<blockquote>
  <p>What scenes are depicted?</p>
</blockquote>

<p><em>On the side with text:</em>  </p>

<ul>
<li>The place where Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha was born.</li>
<li>The place where Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha awakened to the unexcelled right self-awakening.</li>
<li>The place where Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha set rolling the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma.</li>
<li>The place where Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha totally unbound in the property of unbinding with no fuel remaining.</li>
</ul>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Owjgz.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Owjgz.jpg" alt="Lumbini, The birth place of Lord Buddha"></a><br>
<em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumbini" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lumbini</a>, The birth place of Lord Buddha</em></p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/eJeyG.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/eJeyG.jpg" alt="Bodh Gaya, The place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment"></a><br>
<em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodh_Gaya" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bodh Gaya</a>, The place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment</em></p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EbX5A.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EbX5A.jpg" alt="Saranath (Isipatana), The place where Lord Buddha preached his first dhamma sermon"></a><br>
<em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarnath" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Saranath (Isipatana)</a>, The place where Lord Buddha preached his first dhamma sermon - <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, SN 56.11</a></em></p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/LEXTn.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/LEXTn.jpg" alt="Kushinagar, The place where Lord Buddha attained parinibbana"></a><br>
<em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushinagar" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kushinagar (Upavattana Sal Grove)</a>, The place where Lord Buddha attained parinibbana</em></p>

<p>~ Source of images: <a href="https://www.dhammatalks.net/Articles/Life_of_the_Buddha_in_Pictures.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Life of the Buddha in Pictures</a></p>

<p><em>On the other side:</em></p>

<p>A statue of Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha in Samadhi (Dhyana) mudra (hand gesture) was carved on this side of the tile. By the appearance of the halo, I suggest that it must have been influenced by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathura_art" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mathura school of art</a>. A similar halo can be seen in the famous <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sculpture_of_Sarnath#/media/File:Buddha_in_Sarnath_Museum_(Dhammajak_Mutra).jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Buddha statue at Saranath museum</a> which was carved during <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gupta_Empire" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Gupta dynasty</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The meaning of the text?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I cannot be sure about the text. But, by examining the appearance of the script, it should be related to one of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languages" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Indo-Aryan languages</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>What this tile is called?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I have seen different small Buddha statues and carvings were placed inside vehicles and carried with themselves by the Buddhists in my country. But I have never seen this kind of tile in my country. So I cannot give it a name.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>What the function of the tile is?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>You've mentioned that the tile is roughly as broad as your thumb. So it must have been carved in order to take with oneself wherever he/she goes.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“Ānanda, there are these four places that merit being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merit his feelings of urgency &amp; dismay [saṁvega]. Which four? ‘Here the Tathāgata was born’ is a place that merits being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merits his feelings of urgency &amp; dismay. ‘Here the Tathāgata awakened to the unexcelled right self-awakening’.… ‘Here the Tathāgata set rolling the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma’.… ‘Here the Tathāgata totally unbound in the property of unbinding with no fuel remaining’ is a place that merits being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merits his feelings of urgency &amp; dismay. These are the four places that merit being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merit his feelings of urgency &amp; dismay. They will come out of conviction, Ānanda—monks, nuns, male lay followers, &amp; female lay followers—to the spots where ‘Here the Tathāgata was born,’ ‘Here the Tathāgata awakened to the unexcelled right self-awakening,’ ‘Here the Tathāgata set rolling the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma,’ ‘Here the Tathāgata totally unbound in the property of unbinding with no fuel remaining.’ And anyone who dies while making a pilgrimage to these shrines with a bright, confident mind will—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in a good destination, a heavenly world.”</p>
</blockquote>

<p>~ Cited from: <a href="https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/DN/DN16.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mahā Parinibbāna Sutta, Deega Nikaya, Tipitaka (DN 16.5)</a></p>

<p>According to the above sutta, the four places carved on the tile are very important and sacred to the Buddhists. A devotee can keep this tile with himself/herself in order to frequently remember the places that merit his/her feelings of urgency and dismay.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-16T07:35:32.390Z
This is an amazing answer. Thank you so much.
William Grobman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-16T23:03:12.907Z
Not to harp on too much, but this is truly an excellent answer. I appreciate you updating it with images and additional info. Thanks again. :)
William Grobman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-17T03:09:31.737Z
The script is probably Kannada. The first letter reads 4. So probably the text must mean 'holy places'.
White Cloud
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-16T06:53:55.490Z
2019-01-16T09:56:48.040Z
2019-01-16T09:56:48.040Z
Damith
<p>I found a clay tile outside on the street that appears to depict the Buddha. It has a man in lotus position on one side and four scenes along with some text on the reverse. It is roughly as broad as my thumb.</p>

<p>I'd be curious to know what scenes are depicted, the meaning of the text, what this tile is called, and what the function of the tile is.</p>

<p>I'm guessing it shows his youth, becoming enlightened, being a teacher, and his death, but I don't know if it's more specific or different than my interpretation.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/CwNpA.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/CwNpA.jpg" alt="Side one of tile"></a>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/RA8mU.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/RA8mU.jpg" alt="Side two of tile"></a></p>

<iconography>
What is this tile and what do its symbols depict?
# What is this tile and what do its symbols depict?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-15)

I found a clay tile outside on the street that appears to depict the Buddha. It has a man in lotus position on one side and four scenes along with some text on the reverse. It is roughly as broad as my thumb.

I'd be curious to know what scenes are depicted, the meaning of the text, what this tile is called, and what the function of the tile is.

I'm guessing it shows his youth, becoming enlightened, being a teacher, and his death, but I don't know if it's more specific or different than my interpretation.

[![Side one of tile](https://i.sstatic.net/CwNpA.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/CwNpA.jpg)
[![Side two of tile](https://i.sstatic.net/RA8mU.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/RA8mU.jpg)

**Tags:** iconography


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-01-16. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

> What scenes are depicted?

*On the side with text:*

* The place where Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha was born.
* The place where Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha awakened to the unexcelled right self-awakening.
* The place where Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha set rolling the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma.
* The place where Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha totally unbound in the property of unbinding with no fuel remaining.

[![Lumbini, The birth place of Lord Buddha](https://i.sstatic.net/Owjgz.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/Owjgz.jpg)  
*[Lumbini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumbini), The birth place of Lord Buddha*

[![Bodh Gaya, The place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment](https://i.sstatic.net/eJeyG.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/eJeyG.jpg)  
*[Bodh Gaya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodh_Gaya), The place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment*

[![Saranath (Isipatana), The place where Lord Buddha preached his first dhamma sermon](https://i.sstatic.net/EbX5A.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/EbX5A.jpg)  
*[Saranath (Isipatana)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarnath), The place where Lord Buddha preached his first dhamma sermon - [Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, SN 56.11](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html)*

[![Kushinagar, The place where Lord Buddha attained parinibbana](https://i.sstatic.net/LEXTn.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/LEXTn.jpg)  
*[Kushinagar (Upavattana Sal Grove)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushinagar), The place where Lord Buddha attained parinibbana*

~ Source of images: [The Life of the Buddha in Pictures](https://www.dhammatalks.net/Articles/Life_of_the_Buddha_in_Pictures.htm)

*On the other side:*

A statue of Shakyamuni Tathagata Lord Buddha in Samadhi (Dhyana) mudra (hand gesture) was carved on this side of the tile. By the appearance of the halo, I suggest that it must have been influenced by [Mathura school of art](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathura_art). A similar halo can be seen in the famous [Buddha statue at Saranath museum](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sculpture_of_Sarnath#/media/File:Buddha_in_Sarnath_Museum_(Dhammajak_Mutra).jpg) which was carved during [Gupta dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gupta_Empire).

> The meaning of the text?

I cannot be sure about the text. But, by examining the appearance of the script, it should be related to one of the [Indo-Aryan languages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languages).

> What this tile is called?

I have seen different small Buddha statues and carvings were placed inside vehicles and carried with themselves by the Buddhists in my country. But I have never seen this kind of tile in my country. So I cannot give it a name.

> What the function of the tile is?

You've mentioned that the tile is roughly as broad as your thumb. So it must have been carved in order to take with oneself wherever he/she goes.

> “Ānanda, there are these four places that merit being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merit his feelings of urgency & dismay [saṁvega]. Which four? ‘Here the Tathāgata was born’ is a place that merits being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merits his feelings of urgency & dismay. ‘Here the Tathāgata awakened to the unexcelled right self-awakening’.… ‘Here the Tathāgata set rolling the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma’.… ‘Here the Tathāgata totally unbound in the property of unbinding with no fuel remaining’ is a place that merits being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merits his feelings of urgency & dismay. These are the four places that merit being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merit his feelings of urgency & dismay. They will come out of conviction, Ānanda—monks, nuns, male lay followers, & female lay followers—to the spots where ‘Here the Tathāgata was born,’ ‘Here the Tathāgata awakened to the unexcelled right self-awakening,’ ‘Here the Tathāgata set rolling the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma,’ ‘Here the Tathāgata totally unbound in the property of unbinding with no fuel remaining.’ And anyone who dies while making a pilgrimage to these shrines with a bright, confident mind will—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in a good destination, a heavenly world.”

~ Cited from: [Mahā Parinibbāna Sutta, Deega Nikaya, Tipitaka (DN 16.5)](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/DN/DN16.html)

According to the above sutta, the four places carved on the tile are very important and sacred to the Buddhists. A devotee can keep this tile with himself/herself in order to frequently remember the places that merit his/her feelings of urgency and dismay.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: This is an amazing answer. Thank you so much.  
> **username_0**: Not to harp on too much, but this is truly an excellent answer. I appreciate you updating it with images and additional info. Thanks again. :)  
> **username_3**: The script is probably Kannada. The first letter reads 4. So probably the text must mean 'holy places'.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-01-15. Score: 2

Yes.
I see that as his birth, enlightenment, first Dhamma sermon, and Parinirvana.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you for the answer. Could you elaborate on any elements that inform your interpretation? Any thoughts on the text?  
> **username_1**: I thought this is pretty elementary. You find these pictures in many temples. However, this seems to be an important archaeological artifact hence worth a lot. Take care of it.  

---

