Gupta period terracotta horse rider, Pawāyā

<p>This fragmented image dates to <em>circa </em>the late fourth century CE (Gupta period). It once decorated the outer wall of a temple at Pawāyā (ancient Padmāvatī), in the Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh. This exquisite fragmented plaque image depicts a male figure riding a horse and holding a bow across his chest. This image might have been positioned on the lost temple, or on the walls of one of the three terraces belonging to the monumental platform which survives in a severely ruined state. The terracotta plaque fragment was recovered by M.B. Garde who excavated the monument intermittently between 1924 and 1941. The image is displayed at the State Museum of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal.</p>