Studies in Indian Art c12.s8.8

c12.s8.8

The pillar is carved on the back and front sides, each containing four superimposed panels. [Figure: Figs. 89-96]. The eight scenes taken together represent the palace amusements (प्रासाद-विहार) of a young loving couple—in this case Nanda and his beautiful wife Sundarī, a suitable subject for poetic description and sculptural illustration. Aśvaghosha who lived in the reign of Kanishka (1st-2nd century A.D.) was deeply touched by the story of Nanda and his peerless wife and has immortalized the charm and pathos of their life in his poem, the *Saundarananda*. Nanda shut up in his palace and absorbed in love enjoyed and lived with his mistress like a *chakravāka* bird with its mate—