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This is a general view of the stūpa drum and its reliefs. They are generally three reliefs high, and this collection starts from the East side of the stūpa and keeping the stūpa on the right, photographs the reliefs from top to bottom, and right to left.
Reliefs from East to South
The exception to this rule are the many reliefs showing ladies holding flowers, which are fertility symbols. A young woman, in the height of her youth, is positioned at the top of a column, the ladies are the same size as one relief, the column (not shown here) stretches over two reliefs.
Auspicious Reliefs
Many of the reliefs have the following pattern, being decorated with auspicious signs, before we come to the narrative reliefs. Here, the Devas hold flower offerings and the humans hold their hands in añjali, a sign of reverence. The stūpa is also decorated with flowers. Many small umbrellas are positioned over the top of the stūpa.
The Devas are again seen with their hands full of offerings. The person of the Buddha is not represented, but is indicated symbolically by the Dharmacakra, symbolising his teaching; the Vajrāsana (His Invincible Seat) indicating his Awakening; and the Buddhapāda (Buddha’s Feet), signifying his presence.
The Devas have flower offerings, and the humans have fragrant water to pour over the roots of the Bodhi Tree. Decorative animals in the surround above include deer, oxen, lions and elephants. Below (and on the protective rail around the tree) are seen stylised flowers. These surrounds, which occur between all the reliefs, are generally omitted from here on, so the subject of the reliefs can be better seen.
Narrative Reliefs
The Bodhisattva is seen being beseeched by the Devas to take birth again for the benefit of Devas and humans. The halo behind the central character indicates it is the Bodhisattva, who holds his hands in the fearless pose.
Devas, mainly with flower offerings, fly through the air. One has a cloth held firmly. Given the established sequence this must be part of the narrative reliefs. Perhaps it indicates the Devas coming to earth to announce the up-coming birth of the Bodhisattva, which occurred 1,000 years before the birth itself.
Queen Mahā Māyā is seen falling asleep on her royal couch surrounded by female attendants, a couple of whom, on the bottom right, have fallen asleep before her. Above her head stands the white elephant signalling the descent of the Bodhisattva.
The white elephant, signifying the Bodhisattva, is being carried by dwarfs (gaṇas) in an elaborate palanquin, as Devas look on and worship. This is a part of the descent of the Bodhisattva.
The Four Great Kings look on as Queen Mahā Māyā sleeps on the couch. The musician slumped over his drum, suggests she has fallen asleep also. The disk indicates it is the Full Moon, in this case of July (Āsāḷha), when the conception took place.
The Four Great Kings hold a cloth on which the Bodhisattva has left his footprint. Queen Mahā Māya holds a branch of a Sāla tree, and is standing while giving birth. The Bodhisattva himself is not shown. There is an interesting figure kneeling in front of the queen and holding her hands to her face. One of the Kings appears to have his leg over her shoulder.
A curtain is being held up around Queen Mahā Māyā and the tree as she gives birth, and the newly born Bodhisattva takes seven steps declaring his greatness and his final birth, saying “I am the chief of the world, I am supreme in the world; this is my last birth, henceforth there will be no rebirth for me.” Under his feet lotuses bloom.
Ṛṣi Asita was an advisor to King Śuddhodana, who wanted the baby to give honour to the ṛṣi, but instead the baby turned round making Asita honour his own feet. Asita predicted that the baby would grow up to become a Buddha. Hearing this, the king worshipped the Bodhisattva for the first time.
The king called in his eight Brahminical advisors to also predict the child’s future. Most said he would become either a Wheel-Turning Monarch or, if he went forth, a Buddha; the youngest, Kauṇḍinya, said he had only one course ahead: to become a Buddha. The Brahmins are holding astrology charts in their hands, which helps them predict his future.
Auspicious Reliefs
Devas have flower offerings, while humans hold fragrant water for the Bodhi tree. The Buddha, who is pictured oddly dimuntively, sits holding the posture of warding off fear (abhayamudrā).
Devas and Devīs gather around the stūpa, which has a very elaborate set of umbrellas above the harmika. A standing Buddha is pictured on the stūpa, either to indicate that the stūpa represents him, or perhaps as a commonly seen relief figure on stūpas.
The Bodhisattva is not shown on his horse Kanthaka, but he is indicated by the umbrella held over him. Notice that the gate behind him has a toraṇa-type design, which we see most clearly at Sanchi and other stūpas, and was presumably copied from city gates. In the sky Devas are seen flying around.
Auspicious reliefs always come in groups of three, and although this is a narrative relief, it is evidently being used here as an auspicious sign. The same occurs below also.
Narrative Reliefs
Every year King Śuddhodana would begin the ploughing festival which celebrated the onset of the sewing season. At one of these the Bodhisattva sat under a tree and attained the first absorption (dhyāna). The shadow from the tree remained over him to protect him from the heat. The king, seeing these things, worshipped the Bodhisattva for a second time.
One day the Bodhisattva and his cousin Devadatta were out in the forests and fields. Devadatta, seeing a goose, shot it down. The Bodhisattva got to the bird first, and would not let Devadatta kill it, saying the life belongs to the one who saves it, not to the one who takes it. The king and his court agreed with the Bodhisattva, which angered Devadatta.
King Śuddhodana wanted to get his son married, and anoint him successor, but the Śakyan princes didn’t believe the Bodhisattva had the skills necessary to be a leader. So the Bodhisattva showed how he excelled in all traditional princely pursuits, like horsemanship, archery and wrestling, defeating all-comers.
The most beautiful and desirable of the young princesses in court was Yaśodharā, Suprabuddha’s daughter. Prince Siddhārtha chose her to be his bride from all the other princesses, and put a garland around her neck to signify his choice.
Prince Siddhārtha proved his worthiness once again by being able to shoot the mighty bow that had belonged to his ancestors, but which no one was able to string or shoot. The Bodhisattva managed both with ease. Although the string is not shown on this relief, it is being held by the Bodhisattva’s big toe.
The Bodhisattva and Yaśodharā, both with umbrellas held over their heads, are in front of the sacred fire, which is circumambulated at the marriage ceremony, and which signifies their union.
Auspicious Reliefs
Nāgas and Nāgīs worship, protect and encircle the stūpa. The Nāgas are shown with seven hoods, while their wives have only one. The Nāgas entwined on the stūpa have three heads. In front of the stūpas people are seen ploughing the land. The presence of the stūpa was seen as ensuring the fertility of the land, which accounts for why they were usually built on top of the hills and mountains, and could be seen for miles around.
A devotee worships the vajrāsana, while Devas, holding offerings, fly through the air. On the bottom right dwarfs (gaṇas), one with a horned cap, are fooling around on the ground. Ladies, naked from the waist up, again signal fertility. A princely-looking character sits on a dais.
This again represents the Bodhisattva leaving Kapilavastu. The Bodhisattva is not pictured, but is indicated by the umbrella which is held by Channa, his charioteer. Two people run swiftly before the horse. In the sky Devas are seen flying around.
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The icons are full size, being equivalent to three reliefs high and wide. Buddha sits holding the Dharmacakramudra, signifying his Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma. The composition follows the famous Mathurā sculpture. Devas hover overhead. Under the base of the seat are the donors: men, women and a child. In the centre deer face a cakra, showing this is the First Discourse, taking place at Ṛṣipatana.
Auspicious Reliefs
Four three-headed Nāgas wrap and entwine themselves around the dome of the stūpa, the Nāgas are protective deities, and were probably worshipped in pre-Buddhist times. Nāgas are particularly associated with Rāmagrāma, one of the original eight stūpas, and this may be intended as a depiction of that stūpa. The umbrellas above are similarly elaborate in design. The base of the stūpa is a florid design of rosettes.
A simple palace design is shown in this relief. The ground floor would probably have been used to house animals. Above two doors, then three doors, and then one grand door lead into and out of the palace, onto balconies. This is perhaps meant to represent one of the three palaces King Śuddhodana had built for his son, the Bodhisattva.
Besides its protective role, the Nāga or snake was seen as a symbol of renewal because of its ability to shed its skin. Here we see a nine-headed Nāga, sometimes identified with Mucilinda, the archtypical Dharma-protector, who raised his hood to cover the Buddha during inclement weather in the 6th week after the Awakening.
Narrative Reliefs
We return to the narrative of the Bodhisattva in this relief. The prince desired to see the world outside of the palace, and was taken in a chariot to the city. Although the city has been cleared of all disturbing sights, the Devas showed an old man to the prince, who asked Channa, his charioteer about it, and understood his own and the destiny of all folk.
This relief is divided into two scenes, on the left the prince sees a sick man, and on the right he sees a dead man being carried away on a bier, being shocked to discover on each occasion that this was the fate of all who lived, including himself.
On his next trip abroad the Devas show the prince an ascetic, living alone in a kuṭi in a forest, who is seeking his own welfare. After the other sights, this inspires the prince, and he starts to think about his own need to strive, and solve the problems of existence.
Back in the palace Siddhārtha decides he must renounce his home life, and seek Awakening. As he intends to leave straight away, before anyone can stop him, he visits his wife and newly-born child sleeping in their chambers, but fearing to disturb them, he leaves without waking them.
Unlike in some of the other reliefs of the Great Renunciation, in this one, the Bodhisattva is shown, as he makes his way out of the city, helped by Devas who support the hooves of his horse Kanthaka so they don’t wake anyone as he departs. The toraṇa is much simpler in this relief, and the whole relief has an ambience of action as the Bodhisattva begins his journey.
When the Bodhisattva has crossed the river Anomā, he took off his jewellery and turban, signs of his princely status, and handed them to his charioteer Channa, telling him to take them back to the palace, and to tell his family of his renunciation, and quest. The turban, however, was taken by the Devas to heaven.
The Bodhisattva then cut off his hair, the last sign of his status, and swapped clothes with a hunter, giving his luxurious clothes for the hunter’s very rough-made garments. We see the hunter’s bow and arrows on the floor, as his intended victims roam through the forest, and in the waters.
When the Bodhisattva cut his hair according to tradition it formed into the distinctive curls, with the wisdom crown on top, that we know from the Buddha statues, and remained like that for the rest of his life. That is what we see here as he meets with Āḷāra Kālāma, a dedicated ascetic, who had attained high levels of absorption (dhyāna). After the Bodhisattva attained similar levels, Āḷāra offered to share the leadership of his group, but the Bodhisattva was not satisfied, as he hadn’t yet attained Awakening.
The Bodhisattva next met with Udraka Rāmaputra, whose father’s attainments were even higher than Āḷāra’s. Again he easily attained the same levels, and Rāmaputra offered the Bodhisattva sole leadership of his group, but again the Bodhisattva realised this was not what he was aspiring to.
Auspicious Reliefs
The relief features a remarkable stūpa with a tow-level harmika, and with the characteristic āyakas, with pillars at the four quarters seen in southern Indian architecture. We also see the railing and the decorated pillars with lions and horses on their top.
The Nāga in this representation has five heads, and noticeably a necklace around its neck. Nāgas are often identified with riches and jewellery, a part of their auspicious iconography.
This Dharmacakra, the original of which is found at the Kanaganahalli stūpa, has unusual garlands hanging from its spokes. On the pillar sit lions, as on the Aśokan pillar. And to left and right we see deer representing the Deer Park at Ṛṣipatana.
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The Wheel of Life (Bhavacakra) held firmly in the jaws of Yama, the king of death. The theme is the cycle of birth and death, in the centre the bird has hold of the snake’s tail, the snake has hold of the pig’s and the pig has hold of the bird’s, uniting them all. The six main panels represent unenlightened forms of existence, and the outer ring the twelve spokes of conditional origination.
Auspicious Reliefs
Devas hold offerings in the sky, and to either side stand two nobles, with their wives and attendants. The two women are making an offering of lotus flowers, and the two males are worshipping.
Devas in the sky, and many nobles or princes sit around the vajrāsana worshipping the undepicted Buddha. Deer are at the base of the vajrāsana, indicating this is Ṛṣipatana, and the Buddhapāda are pictured on top of the seat this time.
We can understand that this is the Bodhisattva by the umbrella held over him, but apart from that what else it represents is not clear. On the left one male figure holds a lotus, and there are three female figures also, including the umbrella-holder.
Narrative Reliefs
After renouncing, the Bodhisattva went to Rajagṛha, and went for collection of alms. His demeanour was so inspiring that the people reported it to King Bimbisāra, who followed the Bodhisattva when he retired to take his almsfood. The king offered him half his kingdom, but the Bodhisattva refused. The king then requested that he come and teach him when he had Awakened, to which he agreed.
The Bodhisattva continued his journey and eventually came to the remote Uruvilvā, where, along with the group-of-five disciples, he engaged in strict austerities (pradhānacaryā), taking little food and suppressing his breath and thoughts. Even though he continued in this practice for six years he still came no closer to Awakening.
Eventually he was reduced physically to a skeleton, and at that point he realised that this was not the way to Awakening. He then recalibrated his thoughts, and decided to accept enough food to maintain his body. It was then that the Lady Sujātā offered him highly refined milk-rice, which he accepted, thereby regaining his strength.
Seeing him accepting food and regaining weight the group-of-five concluded that he had given up striving, and decided to leave him. The Bodhisattva, though, had not given up, he was trying a new and unheard of path: the middle way, avoiding all extremes.
On the way to the Bodhi tree, the Bodhisattva met with the grass-cutter Svastika, who offered him a bundle of sacred kuśa grass so he could make a seat at the tree. We see the Nairañjanā river pictured on the right, with lotuses and fish in it.
Māra, realising that the Bodhisattva was on the edge of Awakening, decided to put all his forces into preventing it. Seated on his elephant Girimekhala he led his troupe, who tried everything to interrupt the quest for Awakening. Ultimately, of course, they failed, as the Bodhisattva remained firm.
Māra and his army failed to dislodge the Bodhisattva, so Māra next sent his three beautiful daughters, Tṛṣṇā, Aratī and Ragā, to try and tempt him. Again they failed as the Bodhisattva’s mind was firmly set on Awakening.
In this relief we see the Buddha is still sitting on his grass seat under the Bodhi tree, while all around Devas and humans express their adulation for his achievement. Flowers fall from the sky indicating how auspicious this event is.
In the sixth week after the Awakening a great storm came up in Magadha, and the Nāga-king Mucilinda coiled himself around and above the Buddha to protect him from the inclement weather. Here the Nāga is pictured with seven heads.
The merchants Trapuṣa and Bhallika, who were passing nearby the Bodhi tree, were informed by a Deva, a previous relative, that the Buddha had Awakened, and that it would be advantageous if they were to make offerings. They therefore offered rice-cakes and honey to him, and went for the double refuge: to the Buddha and the Dharma. The Saṅgha not being formed at this early stage.
After attaining Awakening the Buddha hesitated to teach, fearing the Dharma was too deep for people to understand. The Brahma Sahāmpati, realising this, came down and requested the Buddha to teach for the welfare of Devas and humans.
The Buddha first thought of teaching his previous teachiers: Āḷāra and Rāmaputra, but by his divine vision he understood they had passed away. So then he thought of the group-of-five, who had been with him during his striving, and seeing they were at Ṛṣipatana, he went there and taught them the Dharmacakrapravartanasūtra, the Discourse Setting the Dharma Wheel in Motion, which sets out the central teachings: the Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Auspicious Reliefs
Humans sit on the floor with hands held in añjali, and Devas fly through the sky with offerings in both hands for the flower-decorated stūpa. Scores of umbrellas cover the top of the stūpa.
Four humans sit on the floor in various ways, holding their hands in añjali, while two Devas fly through the air with offerings. The Dharmacakra has 48 spokes, and two lions sit atop the supporting column.
I have not been able to identify this scene. What we see is a man with a turban kneels in front of three others, two of whom have very elaborate coiffures. It is unclear who the horse belongs to, but another man, with a turban, who stands in front of the horse, has his hands raised in añjali. The horse is particularly well-sculpted.
A male and a female kneel with one knee on the floor on either side of the stūpa, which is decorated with a Nāga and lion-topped columns. Above, Devas fly through the sky. There is something very unusual attached to the harmika, which I can't identify, and then the usual umbrellas above it.
Two males sitting, and two females standing, one has a chowri (yak-tail fan), while the others have their hands held in añjali. Two Devas, with offerings, fly through the sky. The Buddhapāda is placed under the vajrāsana.
Four humans, two male and two female stand next to the vajrāsana, the two males and one female have flowers to offer. In the sky the Devas also carry offerings.
Ladies stand in postures that are mirror images of each other, holding lotuses and an elaborate lotus design is placed on the coloumn, which reaches down to the base of the drum, between them.
Photographs by Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
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