Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v1.c5.s8.28

v1.c5.s8.28

To the left of these animals is the royal entourage. The rājā himself, in a pose of profound respect, with folded hands, is listening to the sermon of the hermit. The latter is clad in a striped loin-cloth (dhotī), and a belt of black leather (with patterns embossed or painted on it) passes round his waist and legs by way of support. The Hindu Sannyāsī and the Moslem Darwesh often use such girdles for support when crouching long in meditation. The hands of the hermit are painted in the teaching attitude, but the treatment of the fingers and the manner in which the rosary is held are conventional.