Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c7.26

c7.26

An analysis of these image-basreliefs produced by the artists of the eastern school of mediæval sculpture proves that the majority of separate images of Buddha belonging to this school represent incidents of the Master's life. In many cases these incidents are to be identified from the posture of Buddha's hand or some attendant figure. Thus the *bhūmisparśa-mudrā* denotes the illumination or *sambodhi*, and the *dharma-chakra-mudrā* the first sermon at Benares or the miracle of Śrāvastī. Of the latter two again the particular incident represented can be identified by the presence or absence of the wheel and the deer on the pedestal. If the wheel flanked by the deer is present in a particular figure it should be taken to represent the first sermon at Benares. If it is absent, then it may be taken for granted that the figure represents the miracle of Śrāvastī. A standing figure of Buddha with his hands in the attitude of blessing (*varada-mudrā*) denotes the descent of the Buddha from the heaven of the thirty-three gods. Similarly a figure of Buddha with his hands in the posture of giving protection (*abhaya-mudrā*) denotes that it represents the incident of the attempted assassination of the Master by assassins at the instigation of his cousin Devadatta. A similar figure in which an elephant is to be found near the feet of the Master, represents the taming of the mad elephant Nālāgiri or Ratnapāla. Similarly, an umbrella over the head of the Master represents his descent from the heaven of the thirty-three gods.