Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c7.12

c7.12

In the second sub-division of stelæ, which consist of an image of Buddha surrounded by smaller images or basreliefs representing other incidents of his life, there are also sub-varieties. The differentia between the sub-varieties pertain entirely to the number of details, which we find in the case of the main image and the subsidiary basreliefs or images. The most elaborate stele of this class is a big image lying in situ on a mound near the modern village of Jagdispur near Bargaon (Nālandā) in the Patna District of Bihar and Orissa. In this image, the lower part of which is still buried underground, the main image represents Buddha in the bhūmisparśa-mudrā, surrounded on both sides by the army of Māra attacking him furiously. The edge of the backslab is occupied by seven separate basreliefs, representing seven different incidents of the Master's life, which are almost complete in all details and would compare very well with the basreliefs on the stelæ discovered at Sarnath¹. Another image of this class has not been preserved entirely. It belongs to the Indian Museum Collection (No. 4575-76)². We see only the proper left side of the backslab containing three main incidents depicted in great detail. These details, however, will be discussed, when we come to the identification of the basreliefs themselves.