The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c5.s5.3

c5.s5.3

bethought themselves was to turn to the previous existences of the Master, at the time when under all animal forms, and later under all social conditions, he was qualifying by means of perfections for the final attainment of the Bodhi. Thereby we explain why the sculptors of Barhut preferred to dip into this treasure of tales and fables (¹). In treating this new matter they were no longer trammelled, as when illustrating the last life of the Master, by a custom which had been elevated into a law. Accordingly they have no scruples in representing the Bodhisattva in each scene, and it is with a perfect liberty of mind that, at the time of his penultimate terrestial existence, they give to Viçvantara the features which they so jealously abstained from lending to Siddhârtha (cf. above, p. 6). Representations of jâtakas are far from being unknown at Sânchî : but the decorators of the gates had recourse once again to another stratagem in order to slip between the links of tradition. It goes without saying that in all the scenes posterior to the Parinirvâna the absence of the figure of the Blessed One became perfectly justified and at the same time ceased to be an inconvenience to the artist. Thus, they soon took pleasure in cultivating this part of the Buddhist legend. According to all probability they began by illustrating the famous « war of relics », which the death of the Blessed One nearly precipitated. Encouraged, apparently, by this trial, they did not fear to attack even the cycle of Açoka and to represent at one time his useless pilgrimage to the stûpa at Râmagrâma, and at another his solemn visit to the tree of the Sambodhi (²). Thus, under the pressing incentive of necessity, the native school, incapable of openly shaking off its slavery, had artificially created for itself a double means of escape, in the legends previous to the last renaissance or posterior to the final death of Buddha. For our part, we do not doubt that, if it had continued to develop normally and according to its own rules, we should have seen the number of these sham historical pictures or these illustrations of popular stories increase at the expense of the old fund of pious images.