During a restoration project in Madhya Pradesh, researchers discovered thousands of delicate gold-foil lotus petals cached within a Mauryan-era stone altar. The artifacts are thought to have been used in a pre-Buddhist floral festival where golden petals were scattered over worshippers to signify divine favor and prosperity.
This find suggests that the practice of Pushpa-Abhisheka (floral bathing) has roots that extend significantly further back into the Iron Age than previously documented. The sheer quantity of the gold foil indicates a large-scale, state-sponsored event that likely drew thousands of participants to the sacred site each spring.