Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s9: The Birth of the Buddha
Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s9
- Language
- English
The Birth of the Buddha
v2.c8.s9.1
Plates XVIII*b*–XXIII
v2.c8.s9.2
The subject is painted in several scenes on the wall of the left corridor, above and along the sides of the first and second cell-doors. The two scenes, the Interpretations of Mahā-Māyā’s dream by the Brāhmans, and the Birth of the Buddha in the Lumbinī Gardens, which are, comparatively speaking, better preserved, have been reproduced in colour. From the former scene the figure of the princess (Mahā-Māyā?) is reproduced on a larger scale also as a separate colour plate. The remaining episodes of the story are reproduced in monochrome.
v2.c8.s9.3
THE birth of the Buddha, like the Nativity, is associated with a number of tales and legends describing the miraculous incidents which took place on the auspicious occasion.¹ Several of them have been painted by the artists of Ajanta. Commencing from the left side of the first cell-door, we notice a lady (Mahā-Māyā) lying on her left side on a couch. The upper part of the figure is much injured, but a part of the head and the left elbow and hand can be made out. The lower part of her body is, comparatively speaking, better preserved, and shows her wearing a long skirt of striped material. Below the couch, in front, are four female attendants, all in a pensive mood. The coiffure, jewellery, and beautiful limbs of these figures are admirably delineated.
v2.c8.s9.4
¹ The incidents described in the Introduction to the *Jātaka* (ed. by V. Fausböll, 1877–91) may be summed up as follows: Before the birth of the Buddha a great uproar took place and the gods of all the thousand worlds waited on the Future Buddha, who was then dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven, and said to him, ‘Sire, the time and fit
v2.c8.s9.5
On the other side of the couch, near the feet of the lady, is another attendant, holding a triangular object. It may be a harp, because, according to the story, Queen Mahā-Māyā was taking part in the merriment of the Midsummer Festival when she fell asleep and dreamed of her conception. Just above the right side of Mahā-Māyā is a circular white object, which may represent the elephant of the story, ‘striking Mahā-Māyā on the right side when entering her womb’.
v2.c8.s9.6
The story seems to have been continued in the upper part of the fresco, as we notice another chamber in which a rānī is talking to her consort. She is evidently Mahā-Māyā relating the dream to King Śuddhodana. The pose of the rānī is most graceful, and reminiscent of the pose of Sīvalī in the Mahājanaka Jātaka scene of Cave I.¹ As the technique and artistic detail of several other figures of this subject resemble those of the Mahājanaka Jātaka, it appears either that the same person painted both, or that they belonged to a common school.
v2.c8.s9.7
¹ Cf. *Ajanta*, i, Plates XVI-XVII.
v2.c8.s9.8
season for your Buddhaship has now arrived’. The Great Being assented to their wish and pointed out the time, the continent, the country, and the family regarding his birth. Concerning the family he observed: ‘I will be born into a warrior family, and King Śuddhodana of Kapilavatthu shall be my father and Queen Mahā-Māyā my mother.’ The events took place as the Great Being had foretold, and at the time of the Midsummer Festival Queen Mahā-Māyā saw in a dream that the four guardian angels came and lifted up her couch and took it to a golden mansion on the Silver Hill. There they showed reverence to her, and having cleansed her from every human stain anointed her with perfumes, and clothed her in divine garments. Afterwards a white elephant entered the golden mansion, and walking thrice round the couch of Mahā-Māyā, he struck her on the right side and entered her womb. When the queen awoke, she told the dream to the king, who asked Brāhmans for the interpretation. They observed that the queen had conceived a male child, who, when born, if he continued to live the household life, would become a Universal Monarch, but if he left the household life, would become the Buddha, and roll back the clouds of sin and folly of this world.
v2.c8.s9.9
Now the instant the Buddha was conceived, the Thirty-two Prognostics (miracles) appeared, and four angels with swords in their hands kept guard on Mahā-Māyā to ward off all harm from her. When ten months had passed, Mahā-Māyā grew desirous of going home to her relatives, and said to King Śuddhodana: ‘Sire, I should like to meet my kinsfolk in their city Devadaha’. The king readily agreed to the wish of the queen, and had the road from Kapilavatthu to the city of Devadaha made even, and decorated it with plantain-trees, banners, and streamers. Afterwards he seated the queen in a palanquin borne by a thousand of our courtiers, and sent her away in great pomp. When the procession reached a beautiful grove of sāl-trees, called Lumbinī Grove, the queen felt desirous of disporting herself in that lovely environment. She alighted from the palanquin, and walked down to a magnificent sāl-tree. As she took hold of one of its beautiful branches, the pains suddenly came upon her, and the child was born while she was standing up. Four Mahā-Brahma angels appeared at the moment, and placing the divine babe in a golden net, they presented him to the guardian angels, who received him and presented him in turn to men who let him out of their hands on to the ground, where he stood and faced the east. The many thousand worlds lay before him like an open court, and their denizens greeted him: ‘Great Being! There is none your equal, much less your superior.’ When he had in this manner surveyed the four cardinal points, and the four intermediate ones, and the zenith and the nadir, and had nowhere discovered his equal, he exclaimed, ‘This is the best direction’, and strode forward seven paces, followed by Mahā-Brahma holding over him the white umbrella, and by other divinities bearing symbols of royalty in their hands. At the seventh stride he halted, and shouted the cry of victory: ‘The chief am I in all the worlds.’ *Vide* Warren’s *Buddhism in Translations*, pp. 38-44.
v2.c8.s9.10
The rājā is seated upon a cushion, and has a round bolster behind his back for support. The cover of the bolster is of a striped material which is frequently noticed in the paintings of Ajanta. The figure of the rājā is damaged, so that the expression of his face cannot be studied, but the position of his hands indicates that he is in the *dharmacakra* attitude. Behind the rājā is a *chaurī*-bearer of a fair complexion. She has rather a stout figure, as indicated by her plump face and the folds of skin on her throat.
v2.c8.s9.11
In Plate XIX the scene lies in a court room with beautifully painted pillars and awnings decorated with pearl strings. In the middle a dark prince is seen, whose figure seems to be somewhat wooden in appearance, probably because of the painter's posing him face to face with himself without the least inclination of the body. The drawing of the upper part of the body is not bad; the arms and wrists are well modelled, and the fingers are exquisitely shaped. The features also show refinement, but the legs are very poorly drawn, and mar the general effect.
v2.c8.s9.12
The prince is nude down to his waist, in the royal style,¹ but he is wearing an elaborate crown and a great amount of jewellery, consisting of ear-rings, a necklet (*kaṇṭhi*), a be-jewelled collar (*tora*), several strings of pearls (*hār* or *mālā*), armlets (*bāzūband*), wristlets (*kaṅgan*), bangles (*kaṛā*), and rings (*aṅgūṭhī*). The back of the throne on which the prince is sitting is also highly ornamented and shows chased gold work.
v2.c8.s9.13
¹ Cf. *Ajanta*, i. 28.
v2.c8.s9.14
The hands of the prince show him to be in the teaching attitude, and as he occupies the place of honour in the scene, and as great reverence and adoration are being shown to him by the other figures, he may be identified with the Future Buddha, who before his birth, according to the story, was dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven surrounded by deities. The aureole painted round his head further shows that he is a celestial being. The octagonal design of the foot-rest of the Future Buddha is interesting.
v2.c8.s9.15
On either side of the Future Buddha are two minor deities wearing crowns and sitting on cushions. The artist seems to have been at a loss in giving different features to these figures, so the pair on the right is almost a copy of that on the left. The features and pose of the two extreme figures, which are of a dark complexion, are, however, very refined, and the manner in which they are looking towards the face of the Future Buddha indicates feelings of hope and devotion. In contrast to these, the other two deities have rather sullen faces. The head of one figure is inclined to the right, and that of the other to the left.
v2.c8.s9.16
Behind the throne of the Future Buddha are also two *chaurī*-bearers, one of a light brown complexion and the other of a dark complexion.
v2.c8.s9.17
The work of the artist in this fresco betrays a lack of creative effort, which may in part be due to his mind being obsessed by the religious character of the theme. In the next subject, which deals with the interpretation of the dream of Mahā-Māyā,² he exhibits a fine conception and great vivacity of spirit, and his delineation of Māyā in a standing position is perhaps the best example of the Art of Ajanta during a period when richness of detail and beauty of finish were its salient features.
v2.c8.s9.18
² This is painted to the right of the previous subject between the first and second cell-doors.
v2.c8.s9.19
To describe the subject in detail. We notice a rājā and a rānī (Śuddhodana and Mahā- Māyā) sitting on a throne. The delineation of both these figures is exquisite, the outline being firm, the limbs well modelled, and the colouring beautiful. To a stern critic, some parts of the figure of Mahā-Māyā may betray a lack of proportion. For example, the relation of the girth of the arm to the well-developed bust might be criticized. But in such cases Indian artists have always been carried away by idealistic perceptions of beauty, and do not attach much attention to their proportion in natural form. The general effect is, however, not marred by these exaggerations, and the figure on the whole is a superb piece of Indian art, showing fine conception, perfect technique, and highly developed decorative sense. The slight inclination of the head, combined with the curves of the arm and the waist, has resulted in a wonderful pose, while the black coils of her hair and pearl jewellery, adding warmth and lustre to the soft brown skin, present a delightful colour effect.
v2.c8.s9.20
The expressions on the faces of Mahā-Māyā and Śuddhodana show that they are listening with rapt attention to the interpretation of the dream by the chief Brāhman, who is sitting on a low square stool (chauki) in front of them. The features of this figure are very typical, and the long twisted moustache and the shaven forehead may still be noticed among the influential Brāhmans of Benares. He has made a loop with his fingers; the artist by this gesture probably wants to suggest that he is interpreting the dream in the light of religious law (dharmacakra). Below the figure of the Brāhman there is another dressed like a hermit (Bhikshu). His features are somewhat coarse; but the head is too much damaged for a close study.
v2.c8.s9.21
Behind the rānī is a female attendant (dāsī) bearing a chaurī. Her complexion is fairish, and a circular decorative mark (bindī) is prominent on her forehead.¹ There is another female attendant sitting below the throne of the rānī and looking towards the Brāhman. The features of this attendant are somewhat difficult to make out.
v2.c8.s9.22
¹ The features of this figure confirm the guess that the artist who painted this subject is the same who painted the subject Mahājanaka Jātaka reproduced on Plate VII, vol. i.
v2.c8.s9.23
Between the rājā and the Brāhman, there are two figures, one of whom is almost behind his throne. This latter is of a fair complexion, and the style of his (or her?) cap indicates that he is a foreigner. He is holding in his hands a round object which he has brought to offer to the king and queen. The material of the lower garment of this figure has a striped design in which ducks are worked. The other figure has a dark complexion, and she is carrying presents in both hands. The pose and delineation of the head of this figure are very beautiful.
v2.c8.s9.24
To the right of the pavilion in which the rājā and rānī are sitting, there is a pillared apartment in which a princess royal is seen leaning against a column. She is apparently Māyā, whose beauty the artist wanted to delineate with the free play of his imagination, without the restrictions imposed by the incidents of the story. Here she is seen attended by a female servant, dressed in a long garment covering her bust in the style of a hermit's robe. The features of this attendant are partly obliterated and look rather coarse now, the mouth being contorted. The other figure in the apartment represents a dwarfish Brāhman, holding a rosary and looking at the face of the Princess with an air of amazement.
v2.c8.s9.25
The dominating figure in the apartment, however, is the Princess herself, in depicting whose bodily charm the painter has exhibited his highest skill. That the beauty of her slender figure and slim limbs may be best appreciated, he has chosen for the Princess a standing pose, and to add naturalness and ease, he has made her lean gracefully against a pillar. A sweet inclination of the head shows the charm of the beautiful neck and shoulders to advantage, while the fine contours of the bust and of the lower part of the body are modulated rhythmically by a poetically thin waist.
v2.c8.s9.26
The painter has taken special delight in the decoration of the hair, and jewels and flowers have been most ingeniously used to add to the subtle charm of the dark coils. Her dress is scanty, consisting only of a tight bodice of gauze, and a close-fitting knee-length garment of red silk. But her dress appears less scanty than it is, because of the profusion of jewellery, which is chiefly of pearls. The latter match admirably with the dark brown tint of the skin, and when falling in strings on the bosom, or in net-work on the waist and around the knees, they bring into prominence the beauty of those parts of the body.
v2.c8.s9.27
The calm and serenity of the face have given a mystic effect to the subject, and the idea of voluptuousness which is contrary to the Buddhist doctrine is happily avoided. She has made a loop with her thumb and middle finger, probably to signify that she is contemplating the riddle of life. It is interesting to note how the Indian artist, with his rich imagination and keen sense of beauty, under the esoteric teachings of the Buddhist doctrine, acquired a temperament which experiences joy only when the outward life is governed by an inner law. In all the outbursts of his emotions and fancy the spiritual note is prominent, and it is this feature especially which differentiates the Buddhist art of India from the art of that country when influenced by other cults.
v2.c8.s9.28
The next scene of this subject (Plate XXII) represents the birth of the Buddha in the Lumbinī Grove. Mahā-Māyā is seen standing in the middle holding the branch of the sāl-tree.¹ In front of her are Brahma, Indra, a chaurī-bearer, and a hermit, representing the four pure-minded Mahā-Brahma angels of the Jātaka, who received the Buddha on a golden net at his birth.² In the fresco the child is held on a mattress by Indra, who is easily identified by his eye of wisdom. Brahma is holding an umbrella, the symbol of royalty, over the divine child, to show his sovereignty of all the worlds. The fly-whisk and the pearl-string³ held by the other two angels are also emblematic of the supreme nature of the Great Being.
v2.c8.s9.29
¹ The branch is decorated with bangles, probably with the feeling that such adornment was worthy of the deity dwelling in the tree, the branch representing the hand of the deity. A necklace and a drum which convey similar ideas may also be noticed on the tree.
v2.c8.s9.30
² The hair of each of the four deities is treated differently. The hair of the Mahā-Brahma is done up in the style of the jaṭā of a Sādhu. Indra has luxuriant locks which are spread in a princely style on his shoulders. The hair of the chaurī-bearer is not very long, but shows beautiful curls on the temple and neck, and seems to be parted in the middle. The fourth deity, holding the pearl-string, has a tuft on the crown, and a fringe of matted tresses on the neck.
v2.c8.s9.31
³ It may be a rosary, and its presentation may signify the future devout life of the Buddha.
v2.c8.s9.32
Behind Māyā are two female attendants, the one holding a chaurī having very peculiar features. Her hair is dressed in the style of the Sādhus, but the knot is on one side of the head instead of being tied at the crown. Near the feet of Māyā is a dwarf presenting offerings on a tray. The figure of the dwarf is damaged, and the head not fully visible now.
v2.c8.s9.33
Below these figures, in the foreground, may be seen a line of lotus-flowers, which grew up at every step when the divine child took the seven strides immediately after his birth to declare his sovereignty of the world.¹ Farther to the right, Indra is seen holding the umbrella over the babe (the Buddha), who is standing on a lotus.²
v2.c8.s9.34
¹ *Vide* Hardy's *Manual of Buddhism*, pp. 134-6.
v2.c8.s9.35
² The figure of the babe Buddha is not reproduced in the plate.
v2.c8.s9.36
The scene, though representing vividly the various incidents connected with the birth of the Buddha, lacks the refinement of drawing and high degree of technical skill shown in the previous subject. The lack of aesthetic merit is apparently due to the artist's vision being dimmed by observance of religious conventionalities.
v2.c8.s9.37
In the left part of the fresco, near the deity holding the pearl-string, there are three figures, two female and one male. The middle one represents Māyā, who is going to the city of Devadaha to see her relatives. The other female figure is Māyā's special attendant, and the male figure her personal servant. It may be noticed that his moustache is rather cleverly painted. The fresco next below these figures has perished, but the subject is continued below, and at the bottom of Plate XXIII a lady may be seen carried in a palanquin on men's shoulders. The drawing of the head of one of the palanquin-bearers is highly realistic, and expresses his tense feeling as the result of his heavy burden.
v2.c8.s9.38
Near this palanquin-bearer there are several other figures, two of which, representing a male and a female, are noticeable on account of their excellent workmanship. The drawing of the lady's torso is particularly graceful.
v2.c8.s9.39
To the right of this scene is another, which is reproduced in both Plates XXII and XXIII. It represents a hermit sitting on the steps in front of a door, and a lady offering him something on a tray. In front of the hermit are a number of figures with outstretched hands, apparently representing beggars. The outlines of these figures have not been finished, so some of them look very crude.
v2.c8.s9.40
Near the end of this group, towards the right, are a prince and a princess. The former has amorously placed one hand on the breast of his consort, and with the other is offering her a cup of wine. The drawing of these two figures is quite refined. The whole of this scene is devoid of colour. Perhaps the drawing was begun later than the rest and never completed.³
v2.c8.s9.41
³ To the right of the last subject, above the second cell-door, the figures of four Buddhas are delineated. They are all draped in red robes, and two of them are in the teaching, and two in the meditative attitude. Below is a *Bhikshu* in the act of adoration. Above the four Buddhas an
Linked texts (1)
- Jātaka — Pāli