Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v3.c12.s19.23

v3.c12.s19.23

The end of the last scene is marked by a tree on which two peafowls are perched. The hills, represented by conventional bands, continue towards the right, and on a ledge two women are seen, round whose heads there are embroidered kerchiefs, or metal ornaments, similar in design to those worn by two ladies in the scene ‘Nāga Rājā before the Bodhi-tree’ (Plates XXVa and XXVI). They are probably watching the return of the hunter with the tusks of the royal elephant, for the next scene represents the palace of the king of Benares (Plate XXXc). In this scene the hunter Sonuttara and his companion are shown to have brought the tusks, but Subhaddā faints at the sight of them, being smitten by the thought of her cruelty to one who was her lord in a previous existence. The Rājā of Benares, who is seated next to the queen, is supporting her by placing one of his hands behind her back and by holding with the other her right shoulder. One maid is fanning her, another has brought water to pour on her head or to sprinkle on her face, another nearest to Subhaddā is offering a drink to her, and another at the right end of the scene has placed her hand on her mouth in the characteristic Indian style to express anxiety and sorrow. The maid holding the umbrella over the head of the rājā is looking towards the tusks, the sight of which has struck the entire court with consternation. A woman who is squatting on the floor is massaging the soles of Subhaddā in order to revive her consciousness. The artist has succeeded fully in imparting a dramatic effect to the scene; but his skill is to be admired still more in the excellent grouping of the figures and their natural poses. The drawing is perfect, and its charm is enhanced by the fine brush-work shown in the delineation of the ornaments and coiffure. In regard to the latter features and the dress of both the male and female figures there is a striking resemblance between this fresco and the one painted on the left wall of the cave, that is ‘the Rājā before the Bodhi-tree’, referred to above. It appears that the decorative detail and general style of painting remained almost on a uniform level from about the second century B.C. to the first quarter or middle of the third century A.D.