Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v4.c16.s17: The Mahākapi Jātaka II, or the Story of the Benevolent Monkey

Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v4.c16.s17

Language: English

The Mahākapi Jātaka II, or the Story of the Benevolent Monkey

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*The jātaka is painted on the left wall of the back corridor, to the left of the cell-door in Cave XVII.*¹

¹ A summary of the story as told in the *Jātaka* (v, 38-41) is as follows: Once, a Brahman farmer in a village in Kāśī after ploughing his fields unyoked his oxen and began to do some other work. The oxen strayed little by little and escaped into the forest. The Brahman as day declined looked round for his oxen, and in searching for them wandered into the forest and lost his way. He remained without food for several days, and finally, when he found a fruit-tree he fell down into a deep pit in trying to get at the fruit. At that time the Bodhisattva, who was living in the forest as a monkey, noticed the Brahman's predicament and rescued him. Later, when the benevolent monkey was asleep, the ungrateful Brahman tried to split open his head with a large stone. But the Great Being sprang up and perched on a tree, and bearing no malice towards the Brahman showed him the way out of the forest and disappeared. The Brahman because of his sin against the Great Being was afflicted with leprosy. See also *Jātaka-mālā*, No. 49, and Chavannes, *Cinq Cents Contes et apologues extraits du Tripitaka Chinois et traduits en français*, No. 47.

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THE artist has painted the *jātaka* in a forest-scene with a variety of typical Indian trees, among which the *palāśa* with its twisted conical blossom and the teak with its broad dark-green leaves are prominent. Some trees are laden with fruit; notice the one near the bottom of the painting, above the pair of deer. Among the denizens of the forest, beside a brown monkey of a large species (which forms the chief character of the story), deer and even a tiger may be seen. The tiger holds in his jaws the head of an ox. Lower down, the carcass of a buffalo may also be noticed. The only representation of birds is a pair of peafowl, sitting at the top of the hill. The female bird has stretched its neck towards its mate in an amorous mood.

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The story as delineated in the fresco begins from the right bottom corner, where a man (the Brahman), who is naked down to his waist, may be noticed sitting on a tree laden with fruit. The features of the Brahman are too indistinct to be judged, but the gesture which he has made with the fingers of his hands may suggest that he has noticed some danger, perhaps the deep abyss just below the tree, and being seized with panic he falls down into the abyss. A little to the left, by the side of the *palāśa*-tree, the Brahman may be noticed on the back of a big monkey, the position of whose forelegs indicates that he is climbing up a precipice. Farther towards the left the monkey may be seen again: he is no longer carrying the Brahman, who is seen behind him. A little higher up the monkey is shown sleeping under the shade of a tree, and a dark man (the Brahman) is about to hurl a large stone at his head, which tallies with the *Jātaka* version that the Brahman tried to split open the head of the monkey while he was asleep. To the right of this incident the monkey may be seen again, and this time in such a pose as to show that he became aware of the evil intention of the Brahman and jumped quickly aside so as to be beyond the striking distance of the stone which was hurled at him.

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In the left top corner, the monkey and the Brahman appear once more, the Brahman evidently in an apologetic attitude and the monkey no longer very friendly on account of the misbehaviour of the Brahman. In this episode the monkey is showing the Brahman the way out of the forest. There is a pair of deer in front of the monkey who appear to be friendly with him, because they are also noticed looking at the monkey near the bottom of the fresco, where he had shaken the Brahman from his back. In this scene the deer, as is indicated by their raised necks and wild stare, show their disapproval of the ungrateful character of the Brahman.

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Apart from the religious interest of the painting, the figure of the monkey has been shown in some characteristic poses, sitting on his haunches with legs doubled up or stretched out, walking gently on all fours, and curving the body in making a spring to keep out of danger. The short soft hair on his forelegs and forehead are painted with most delicate brushwork.

Linked texts (2)

Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana edition — Pāli
Jātakamālā — Āryaśūra, Sanskrit