Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c7.158.2

c7.158.2

Thus the scene is represented as one of the eight principal incidents of the Master's life, on a stele discovered by Sir John Marshall during the working season of 1906-07.⁴ In this specimen, Buddha is to be seen seated in the attitude of meditation, on a lion-throne, while the monkey stands on his proper right with a bowl in his hands. Subsequently, in the Bengal school, we find that the representation of this incident is more popular. It is to be found on stelæ both of the first and second classes as well as in separate images. Thus it is to be found both in Br. 5 and the Sibbati stele, to the proper right of the main temple, at the level of the knees of the main figure. Here Buddha is to be seen seated on a lotus with his legs hanging down. In the Sibbati specimen Buddha is holding a bowl in both of his hands, while in Br. 5 another figure is to be found behind the back of Buddha with a round vessel in his hands. The very elaborate stele of the second class discovered at Jagdispur near Nālandā depicts this scene in greater detail. On this specimen the incident is to be found at the bottom of the backslab, at the proper right corner. Here Buddha is seated on a lotus throne with his hands placed on his lap in the posture of meditation (dhyāna-mudrā). Two attendant figures are to be found on each side of the figure and on the pedestal, we find, the monkey, in three different positions showing three different stages of the incident.