Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v3.c12.s3.4

v3.c12.s3.4

Below the throne of the Buddha were painted the daughters of Māra, disporting themselves in an enticing manner. The head of only one figure can be seen; the rest have completely perished. Such subjects gave the artist an opportunity to display his sense of the grotesque, which he has done admirably, inspired by the religious stories which were extant at that time regarding this great event in the life of the Buddha, that is, his enlightenment after protracted meditation.¹