The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c9.99

c9.99

on plate LXVIII of the *Anc. Mon. of India* (¹) — at the left at least an indication of the royal presence of Prasenajit, to the right the demoralized troop of Tîrthyas ; and doubtless the obese and naked old man, whose steps these have to support, is the Pûraṇa Kâçyapa whom the Buddhist legend denotes as their leader and whose defeat is about to have for penalty an ignominious suicide (²). It is again he whom we believe we can identify on the left side of the new panel of plate XIX, 1, by his shaven head, his nakedness and, especially, by his strange backward posture, in striking contrast to the devout attitude of the Buddhist monk who forms a pendant to him on the other side. But, on the whole, representations of monks belonging to other sects are rather rare in Buddhist art, even where their presence would be most expected : and the pictures of the Master’s triumphs willingly dispense with the not very edifying spectacle of the vanquished. It would be only the more desirable that we should possess a good reproduction of what is still to be found of this Ajaṇṭâ fresco. Lacking this, we must content ourselves with giving a sketch of one of those which adorn the principal archway of Cave IX (pl. XXI, 1). We know the curious aspect of that little subterranean chapel, with its three naves, its portal gallery and its *stûpa* marking the position of the altar : the warm, ruddy tones of its frescoes give the finishing touches