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Reliefs from West to North
Auspicious Reliefs
Two bejewelled ladies stand holding lotus flowers. Unlike many other older representations of queens and other women the vulva is not shown. The loin cloth is wrapped around them here, with more modesty.
Four men, two standing and two sitting, are around the Nāga-decorated stūpa. Large umbrellas are seen hanging down from the harmika. Two Devas fly in the air, one worshipping, and the other holding an offering. This is probably meant as a representation of the Rāmagrāma stūpa, which was under the protection of the Nāgas.
Two men holding chowris stand next to the vajrāsana, while two others sit to the side holding their hands in añjali. The stand for the Buddhapāda is seen, but the footprints are not. In the air Devas fly holding offerings.
One man holds an umbrella over the vajrāsana, while another holds a pendant. Two others, both male, hold their hands in reverential salutation. Two Devas in the air have offerings. Once again the footprints are not seen on the pedestal.
Narrative Reliefs
One time the Buddha was walking around the monks’ dwellings with Ven. Ānanda. Inside one dwelling was a monk sick with dysentry. The Buddha asked Ānanda to bring water, and the two of them proceeded to clean the monk, and lay him on a clean bed. On this occasion the Buddha laid down a rule that monks must take care of each other when sick, and not neglect this duty.
The most famous physician of the Buddha’s time was Jīvaka, who had been born of a courtesan of Rājagṛha, and discarded after birth. He was brought up by Prince Abhaya, who found him abandoned. Jīvaka was the king’s physician, and he also became the Saṅgha’s. He liked to listen to Dharma, but finding the Veṇuvana too far away, he offered the Buddha and Saṅgha a meal and afterwards donated his Mango-Grove (Āmravana) to them.
Āḷavaka was a very powerful Yakṣa who had made a pact with the king of Āḷavaka to supply him with humans to eat. The Buddha came to know of this and visited the Yakṣa’s home while he was out at a gathering of Yakṣas. When he heard the Buddha was in his home and on his throne he got very angry and immediately returned. There he tried to dislodge the Buddha but without success. Eventually he asked a number of questions of the Buddha who answered them and converted him.
After a long life maintaining his precepts, and being generous at every turn, Anāthapiṇḍada grew old and sick. As he lay on his deathbed he asked for Vens. Śāriputra and Ānanda to come and teach him Dharma one more time. They did so, and after he had offered a last meal to them, he passed away and was reborn in Tuṣita heaven. In the relief the two monastics sit at either end of his bed, and the Devas wait to escort him to heaven.
Two scenes. Sopāka was the son of a cemetery attendant, but soon after his birth his father died, and he was brought up by his uncle. 1) After he had quarreled with his cousin his uncle took him to a charnel ground and tied him to a corpse intending that jackals would kill and eat him. The Buddha send his own radiant image to him and Sopāka broke free of his bonds. 2) He later successfully answered 10 questions (known as the Śrāmaṇerapraśnā) and was ordained, becoming an Arahat at the age of ten.
King Bimbisāra’s chief consort, Queen Khemā, was very vain and proud of her good looks, and fearing that the Buddha would speak badly of her she didn’t visit him. The king, however, had his court poets sing about the glories of Veṇuvana, where the Buddha was staying, and she was enticed to go. When she approached the Buddha he created the image of a beautiful woman, and then showed her ageing, growing sick and dying. Seeing this she became an Arhat. Later she became one of the two chief female disciples of the Buddha.
One time, when the Buddha was in Āḷavi he taught the meditation on death to those who had gathered for almsgiving. One young weaver’s girl took up the practice ardently. Three years later, the Buddha knew she was ripe for Stream-Entry, so he went again to Āḷavi and asked her four riddling questions, which she understood and answered correctly and attained the First Path.
The Śākyans and the Koliyans were kin who lived on opposite sides on the river Rohiṇī whose waters they shared for irrigation purposes. One time during a drought a dispute arose between them over usage of the water. They were about to come to blows when the Buddha intervened and asked: “What is more precious, the blood of nobles or the water of the river?” They came to their senses and desisted from their argument, and each gave 250 nobles to join the Saṅgha.
King Puṣkarasārī (P: Pukkusāti) was king of Gandhāra and a friend of King Bimbisāra. They exchanged gifts and Puṣkarasārī came to know of the existence of the Buddha, and decided to renounce. The Buddha knowing his conditions were ripe, caught up with him when he was staying in a potter’s home. The Buddha entered and taught him there, and he became a Non-returner, shortly before being gored by a bull and dying.
Ciñcā Māṇavikā was a follower of the sectarians. When their gains started dropping as the Saṅgha’s were rising, they persuaded her to accuse the Buddha of wrong-doing. She wrapped a block of wood to her stomach to make it look like she was pregnant then publicly accused the Buddha. Śakra seeing this, made the blocks fall down. They cut her toes off and she was exposed as a liar.
Sundarī was a female wanderer. The other wanderers persuaded her to make it look like she was visiting the Buddha at night for some time. Then they killed her and threw her body in a ditch and accused the Saṅgha of wrong-doing. There was a hue and cry throughout the city when her body was discovered. But the Buddha remained calm. After a week the truth came out, and the wanderers were further disgraced.
Prakṛtī was a low-caste girl who fell in love with Ven Ānanda. She persuaded her mother to cast a spell over Ānanda and get him into her power, which she did. Just as Ānanda was about to lose his vows he came to his senses he called on the Buddha, who reminded him of the repulsive qualities of the body. Ānanda was saved from fault, and later Prakṛtī became a nun.
After the Chief Disciples had been elected by the Buddha Ājñāta Kauṇḍinya, who had been the first to attain, decided to retire into the Chaddanta elephant forest. The elephants looked after him for 12 years. He then went back to the Buddha and obtained permission to pass away, which the Buddha allowed. 8,000 elephants took care of his funeral.
King Bimbisāra was one of the Buddha’s main supporters. He had a son who was called Ajātaśatru (meaning: an enemy from birth). When he grew up, at the instigation of Devadatta, he imprisoned his father and made himself king. He then starved the king to death, despite the queen’s attempts to save him.
Devadatta was one of the six Śakyan princes who ordained. He was a cousin of the Buddha and brother of Yaśodharā. He grew jealous of the Buddha and wanted to take over the Saṅgha. He hired assassins to kill the Buddha, but when they approached their intended victim, they were unable to complete their mission, and converted instead.
Auspicious Reliefs
This is a very elaborate stūpa, with lions adorning it at various levels, and a Nāga underneath the Āyaka pillar. In a continuous array Devas and humans are seen to be playing instruments, dancing and worshipping from the circumambulation path upwards.
This is another very elaborate relief with thirteen characters, all male, around the Dharmacakra, mounted on a lion pillar, and the Vajrāsana, in front of which there are deer. The Buddhapāda, which often accompany these scenes, are absent here. One of the men holds lotus flowers, another holds up his hand. The rest have their hands in añjali.
Men and women gather around the Bodhi Tree, Vajrāsana and Buddhapāda. Some hold offerings of potted flowers; two stand either side of the tree; others, on the floor, are making various gestures. One of the women has her back to us.
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Mañjuśrī is considered a Bodhisattva in the Mahāyāna tradition, and as a Buddha in the Vajrayāna. He especially embodies wisdom, and is associated with the Prajñāpāramitā literature. He is considered as one of the earliest of the new class of Bodhisattvas to be identified in the Mahāyāna.
Narrative Reliefs
Before giving birth, in line with the customs of the time, Queen Mahā Māyā wanted to return to her parent’s home at Devadaha. At the king’s orders she was carried in a palanquin, but before she got there she stopped to rest in the Lumbini Park, which is where she gave birth.
Queen Mahā Māyā is seen here relaxing on a couch shortly after the birth of the Bodhisattva. Sitting with them would be Mahā Prajāpatī, her sister, who would take over the nursing of the child when seven days after giving birth Mahā Māyā passed away. Fruits are seen in the basket below; and attendants stand behind the central characters.
Four nobles ride on lions, one of which has a bird’s beak. They all hold their right hand high, and there are reins in the mouth of each. The lion’s manes are nicely figured in this unusual relief. What story it is telling though I do not know.
Devadatta tried many times to kill the Buddha, so he could take his place. One time he had a large elephant, Nāḷāgiri, who was in musk, set loose on the Buddha’s path. The people all ran away, but Ven Ānanda tried to put himself between the elephant and the Buddha. The Buddha though brought the elephant to heal with the powers of his loving-kindness.
Having failed to kill the Buddha with assassins, Devadatta decided to try to do the deed himself. One day, when the Buddha was walking on Gṛdhrakūṭa, Devadatta who was on a cliff above him rolled a large rock down the hill. The rock broke into smithereens, one of which hit and cut the Buddha’s foot. But a Buddha cannot be killed by others, and he lived on and continued his teaching.
Devadatta next decided to cause a shism in the Saṅgha and take over the Saṅgha under his own leadership. He propogated five ascetic rules, and some who were foolish decided to follow him. The Buddha sent Vens. Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana to bring his disciples back, which they did, leaving Devadatta without support.
After the death of his father Ajātaśatru felt much remorse and wondered about his future. Being persuaded by Jīvaka he went to the Buddha and confessed what he had done. It was on this occasion that the Buddha taught the Fruits of the Ascetic Life, one of his most important discourses. The king became one of the Buddha’s supporters for the remainder of his life. After the Buddha’s passing Ajātasattu himself was killed by his own son Udāyī.
Both Vens. Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana passed away a few months before the Buddha. In Ven. Śāriputra’s case he had returned to his mother in the place of his birth. He finally managed to convert his mother to the Buddha’s teaching, and then lying in the bed he had been born in, he passed away peacefully.
Āmrapālī was a courtesan working in Vaiśālī who was very rich and was a supporter of the Buddha. On his last tour the Buddha agreed to a meal offered by Āmrapālī. Even though the Licchavī princes wanted to buy the privilege of giving the meal from her, she refused, and served the Buddha and the Saṅgha herself.
After the meal she offered her mango-grove to the Buddha and the Saṅgha. This was the last monastery offered to the Buddha during his teaching career. Later, seeing impermanence in her own body she left the world and became an Arhat. Her sophisticated verses are recorded in the Verses of the Elder Nuns (Pāḷi: Therīgāthā).
Viḍūḍabha was the son of King Prasenajit of Kosala. The king had asked the Śākyans to give one of their daughters to him, hoping this would make him kin to the Buddha. The Śākyans deceptively gave him a daughter born of a slave-woman, who later gave birth to Viḍūḍabha. When he had ascended to the throne, and had found out about his birth, he was very angry and decided to destroy the Śākyans. Twice the Buddha sat under a tree and was able to prevent the king from carrying out his plan.
The third time this happened though the Buddha looked into the past deeds of the Śākyans and understood their deeds in the past were leading to their destruction in the present. King Viḍūḍabha then fell upon the Śākyans and destroyed nearly every one of them in a great slaughter.
After giving birth to the Bodhisattva, Queen Mahā Māyā was brought back to the palace in Kapilavastu in the same palanquin she had been taken out in. An umbrella is held aloft, signifying the status of the child. One man carries water in a pot on his shoulders.
The newly-born Bodhisattva, just after returning from Lumbini, is presented to his father King Śuddhodana. The Bodhisattva in this relief is not shown, but is indicated by his footprints and the umbrella held over him. Queen Mahā Māyā holds the child up, while all around people celebrate.
This is a copy of a relief from Kanaganahalli, but its exact significance is still unsure. One interesting detail are the Bactrian camels, which were known in Gandhāra, but are certainly not amongst native animals in the Deccan. The animals are so well-drawn that this possibly indicates the sculptor was from the north-west. The character in the middle with the hood is the chariot-driver.
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Maitreya Bodhisattva is believed to be the current Bodhisattva who will be the next Sammā Sambuddha in the world. His appearance will only happen after the decline of the present Gautama Buddha’s teaching. At present Maitreya is believed to be in the Tuṣita heaven, where all Bodhisattvas are reborn before descending to earth at the right time.
Auspicious Reliefs
A large ensemble, including four Devas, three Nāgas (one on the far left and two on the right) and a dozen humans, including at least three women, are gathered around the Bodhi Tree, vajrāsana and Buddhapāda. A man and a woman hold chowris, while most hold their hands in añjali, either at chest level, or above their heads. One of them holds an offering.
Another large emsemble relief, with four Devas in the air, two holding offerings; nearly all the characters have turbans, or crowns, except for the one descending from the horse, which makes me think this is an anachronistic portayal of the great renunciation. If that assumption is correct, then the turban is about to be placed on the cloth being held by the character below the horseman, and taken to heaven. Notice the two gaṇas (dwarfs) on the floor on the right and left.
Another large ensemble piece showing the Great Renunciation. The Bodhisattva is indicated by the umbrella over the horse, but is not shown directly. Gaṇas hold the hooves up so they won’t be heard; five Nāgas are shown in various postures. One of the characters has his back to us.
After destroying the Śākyans, and while on the way back to Kosala, Viḍūḍabha and his army decided to rest on the banks of the Aciravatī river. During the night there was a sudden flood, and those who were guilty of committing genocide against the Śākyans, including the king, were swept away by the waters.
After 45 years of teaching, the Buddha’s body, at the age of 80, was old, sick and worn out. Although he suppressed his illness for some months, eventually he decided to give up the will to live on (āyuḥsaṁskāra). He therefore announced to Ven. Ānanda that although he had the power and could live on, he would now pass away just three months hence.
After the Rains Retreat had been completed the Buddha gradually left Vaiśālī, and started walking north. He eventually came to Pāvā and stayed there in Cunda’s Mango Grove. When Cunda knew the Buddha had arrived he went and invited the Buddha and the Saṅgha for the next day’s meal, to which they agreed. The Buddha took his meal, but shortly thereafter fell sick again, although this was not because of the meal, but because he had given up the life-process three months earlier.
This would appear to show the Buddha between the Śāla trees, just before his passing. Someone is offering him a lotus flower. In front and on the left monks sit and stand. On the right are laymen who watch as the lotus is offered. The specific scene, or who is making the offering, is unknown to me.
After leaving Pāvā the Buddha and the Saṅgha coninued on the way. The Buddha was very tired and had to rest on twenty separate occasions. On one of these he asked his attendant Ānanda to bring water as he was thirsty. Ānanda was hesitant as the water in the brook was stirred up by the passing of a caravan. Still, the Buddha insisted, and as Ānanda drew the water it became clear and clean.
Eventually the Buddha and the Saṅgha reached the Śāla Grove outside of Kuśinagara, a town of the Mallas. Ven. Ānanda went into the town and announced the Buddha’s presence, and urged them to come and pay their last respects. Ānanda organised them into groups so they would all be able to see the Buddha before his passing.
After seven days spent marking the passing of the Buddha the Mallas prepared to perform the cremation. When they tried to light the fire though, it wouldn’t burn. They asked Ven. Anuruddha what was the cause, and he answered they should wait for Ven. Mahā Kaśyapa to arrive and pay his last respects. When he arrived he paid his respects at the Buddha’s feet, and afterwards it was possible to light the fire.
The cremation took place one week after the passing of the Buddha. Monastics and lay people from the nearby town all attended the cremation. All of the skin, flesh, sinews and fluids were consumed. Certain fragments of the Buddha’s bones and teeth were amongst the remains.
There was a great dispute amongst the people who knew the Buddha over who should get these remains. Eventually it was settled by a Brahmin, Doṇa, who divided them into eight portions amongst the claimants. Each agreed to built a stūpa over their section of the remains.
In order to preserve the Buddha’s teachings, and to save it from any corruption, Mahā Kaśyapa called for a Council, in which 500 Arhats would participate and agree on the correct form of the teachings. The Arhats assembled at Rājagṛha under the patronage of King Ajātaśatru at the Saptaparṇi Cave.
When they began the chanting of the texts, they started with the Vinaya or Discipline, as this is the bedrock on which the Saṅgha is established. Mahā Kaśyapa asked the questions, and Ven. Upāli, who was the leading expert on the Discipline answered him, and it was confirmed by the Saṅgha chanting in unison.
Then Ven. Ānanda, who had been admitted to the conclave at the last moment after he had become an Arhat, answered questions with regard to the Discourses. Ānanda had had privileged access to the teachings, being at the Buddha’s side for the past 25 years of his life, and he had a photographic memory also.
One hundred years after the passing of the Buddha the Vajjian monks of Vaiśālī declared 10 points that were in conflict with the orthodox understanding of the Vinaya. 700 Arhats got together under Ven. Revata and confirmed what was the correct teaching for a second time.
After King Aśoka had held the 3rd council, which was called to purify the Dharma and the Saṅgha, he unearthed the relics of the Buddha so he could redistribute them to the 84,000 monasteries (vihāras) that he built throughout India. We can understand this as beginning the widespread worship of the stūpa in Buddhism.
King Aśoka had inherited a large kingdom from his father Bindusāra, but a part of eastern India remained unconquered. Aśoka, who was known at the time as Caṇḍāśoka (Fierce Aśoka), therefore moved against the kingdom of Kāliṅga and defeated it. But the victory was at a very high cost in human life which weighed on the mind of the king. Later he became Buddhist and decided that henceforth he would not conquer by force, but by Dharma, and he was henceforth known as Dharmāśoka (Righteous Aśoka).
Auspicious Reliefs
There are couples on either side of the stūpa here, which is protected by a Nāga, which probably indicates this is the Rāmagrāma stūpa. The ladies hold up pots with lotuses emerging from them. The umbrellas over the stūpa are particularly elaborate in this relief.
In this relief we see only the Dharmacakra, unaccompanied by the other symbols. Four men, in regal dress, sit beneath it. One has a chowri, the others hold their hands in añjali. In the sky two Devas fly holding up offerings.
Two noble looking men, each accompanied by two consorts stand next to the signs. They hold up flower vases in one of their hands. Devas fly through the sky behind them holding their offerings.
Two bejewelled ladies at the top of their respective columns look away from each other. They each have combs in their hair and hold up lotus flowers in opposite hands.
Photographs by Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
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