Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c7.74

c7.74

Another additional incident represented in the more elaborate stelæ is that of Kanthaka, the Bodhisattva’s favourite mount, taking leave of him. According to the lives of the Master, after proceeding a certain distance on horse-back, the Bodhisattva left his horse, Kanthaka, which at that moment bowed down before him. Representations of this incident are very rarely to be found even in the Gāndhāra school. In the Gāndhāra basreliefs in the Indian Museum collection several other persons besides the Bodhisattva and his groom are present.¹ Here we find Indra and five others in addition to the main figures. In the specimen in the Lahore Museum we find Indra and one other additional figure.² So far as is known, the incident of Kanthaka bowing down before his master at the time of taking leave, has not been found in basreliefs produced by any other school of Indian sculpture. The stelæ of the first class of the eastern school of mediæval sculpture contain representations of this incident. It is to be found to the left of the scene of the great renunciation on both the stelæ from Bihar and that of Sibbati. In Br. 5 we find the horse kneeling down, behind which is the figure of Chhandaka, the groom; and in front of him an umbrella. The figure of the groom, the bowing horse and the umbrella can also be distinguished at the corresponding place in the Sibbati stele.