Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c7.97.1

c7.97.1

Two new features are to be noticed in the representation of this incident by the artists of the Benares school. These are the makara standard of Māra and the presence of the Earth-goddess. In specimens of this school, we generally find Buddha, in representations of the illumination, as seated on a rocky seat which represents the adamantine throne (vajrāsana) under the Bodhi tree in the attitude of touching the earth. The demons of Māra’s army are shown as coming to attack the Master through the air. In one specimen, two daughters of Māra are to be found on the proper left and Māra himself, armed with a bow and arrow, followed by an attendant holding his makara standard (makara-ketana) and in another case, a pensive Māra, vanquished and seated on the ground. The makara standard is to be found in a specimen discovered in 1904-05 when the excavations of Sarnath were restarted.⁴ The makara is also to be found on the top of a staff in one of the stelæ from Sarnath in the collection of the Indian Museum.⁵ In three different stelæ we find Māra vanquished and seated on the ground in a dejected attitude (S. 1 and S. 2 and on a fragment discovered in 1904-05).⁶ In all representations of this incident by the artists of the Benares school we do find Māra standing with a bow in his hand on the right side of Buddha.