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.