Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s6.13

v2.c8.s6.13

Below this scene we see a *Nāga* king with an elaborate halo of seven hoods, and two *Nāgis*, apparently his consorts, and two more female figures. The *Nāgas* being spirits often dwelling in lakes,¹ it appears that their king has been touched by the grief of the mother, or struck with amazement at the sight of a lovely child floating in the pond, and he has rescued the babe. The fresco is very much damaged in this part, and it is possible that the conjecture about the *Nāga* king rescuing the child may not be correct, and that the scene with the *Nāga* figures belongs to another story.