A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c9.s2.29

c9.s2.29

@H Subjects and style of the sculptures.
‘The subjects represented in the Bharhut sculptures are both numerous and varied, and many of them are of the highest interest and importance for the study of Indian history. Thus we have more than a score of illustrations of the legendary *Jātakas*, and some half-dozen illustrations of historical scenes connected with the life of Buddha, which are quite invaluable for the history of Buddhism. Their value is chiefly due to the inscribed labels that are attached to many of them, and which make their identification absolutely certain. Amongst the historical scenes the most interesting are the processions of the Rājās Ajātasatru and Prasēnajita on their visits to Buddha ; the former on his elephant, the latter in his chariot, exactly as they are described in the Buddhist chronicles.
Another invaluable sculpture is the representation of the famous Jetavana monastery at Srāvasti—with its mango tree and temples, and the rich banker