Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c7.54

c7.54

Representations of the Bodhisattva at school have been found among specimens of the Gāndhāra school only and are not known among known specimens of any other Indian School of art.⁷ Both the Indian Museum and the Lahore Museum collections contain excellent specimens of this scene.⁸ One portion of stele No. Br. 5 seems to represent this incident. Immediately below the scene of the prediction of the infant Bodhisattva's future, there is a small basrelief in which an empty miniature shrine is to be seen on the extreme right and three small male figurines stand, with hands clasped in adoration, in front of it, facing the left. It is not absolutely certain whether this portion of the stele is a representation of the Bodhisattva attending the school, but it seems to be a very near approach to the representation of this particular incident.