Triratna

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Triratna
Mongolian Cyrillic		ɣurban erdeni
Japanese name
Kanji	三宝
Transcriptions Romanization sambō, sampō
Bengali name
Bengali	ত্রিরত্ন trirôtnô
Lao name
Lao	ໄຕແກ້ວ (tài kɛ̂ːu) / ໄຕລັດ (tài lāt)

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The Triratna (

Sangha

).

Symbol

The Triratna symbol is composed of:

• A lotus flower within a circle.
• A diamond rod, or vajra.
• An ananda-chakra.
• A
  Sangha
  .

On representations of the footprint of the Buddha, the Triratna is usually also surmounted by the Dhamma wheel.

The Triratna can be found on frieze sculptures at Sanchi as the symbol crowning a flag standard (2nd century BCE), as a symbol of the Buddha installed on the Buddha's throne (2nd century BCE), as the crowning decorative symbol on the later gates at the stupa in Sanchi (2nd century CE), or, very often on the Buddha footprint (starting from the 1st century CE).

The triratna can be further reinforced by being surmounted with three dharma wheels (one for each of the three jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha).

The triratna symbol is also called nandipada, or "bull's hoof", by Hindus.

Coins

A number of examples of the triratna symbol appear on historical coins of Buddhist kingdoms in the Indian subcontinent. For example, the triratna appears on the first century BCE coins of the Kuninda Kingdom in the northern Punjab. It also surmounts the depictions of stupas, on some the coins of Abdagases I of the Indo-Kingdom of the first century CE and on the coins of the Kushan Empire, such as those coined by Vima Kadphises, also of the first century.

Gallery

• 
  Triratna on a Taxila coin, 185–168 BCE (detail)
• 
  The compound Buddhist symbols:

  Dharmacakra wheel, on the Torana gate at Sanchi

  . 1st century BCE
• 
  The Triratna or "Three Jewels" symbol, on a Buddha footprint (bottom symbol, the top symbol being a dharmachakra). 1st century CE, Gandhara.
• 
  Triratna symbol on the reverse (left field) of a coin of the

  Indo-Scythian king Azes II

  (r.c. 35–12 BCE)
• 
  2nd century BCE coin of the

  Kunindas, incorporating on the reverse the Buddhist triratna symbol on top of a stupa
• 
  Amaravati

  Triratna symbols
• 
  Symbol of the Three Jewels

References

• Refuge : An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha. Thanissaro Bhikkhu : Third edition, revised, 2001
• "ガンダーラ美術の見方" (The art of Gandhara), Yamada Kihito,
  ISBN 4-89806-106-0

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

• Buddhapada and Triratna
• Another triratna on Buddha's footprint.