History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c14.s4.13

c14.s4.13

Representations of Ājīvikas exist outside India. A sculpture at Borobudur shows the encounter of the newly enlightened Buddha with Upaka the Ājīvika; Upaka is here accompanied by two fellow Ājīvikas, and all three wear a peculiar skirt-like garment and have carefully arranged hair (Plate II).³ Krom is of the opinion that no reliance can be placed on the accuracy of these figures,⁴ but it must be remembered that at the time of the building of the Borobudur *stūpa* the Javanese were in contact with Cōḷamaṇḍalam, and that Ājīvikas were to be found in that region. Therefore it is not wholly impossible that the Javanese sculptor was working from personal knowledge, or from an authentic report, of the appearance of Dravidian Ājīvikas.