On one arm of the Virgin is the Child, and in the hand of the other arm she carries the sacred lotus.
Their tresses have not been deposited under the shadow of the sacred lotus, as Pliny tells us those of the Vestals were.
The capitals represent the full-blown flowers and the buds of the sacred lotus, or water-lily.
Avenues of magnificent trees led up to squares with giant trees enclosing them, terraces, and ponds covered with the sacred lotus.
