Muga Pakkha Jataka

Description

The medallion presents the story of Muga Pakkha Jataka, according to which the Bodhisattva was born as Temiya, the son of the king of Benaras. He took a vow of austerity and pretended to be deaf and dumb and a cripple and all attempts to test his sensibility failed. After sixteen years, the king decided to get rid of him and asked his charioteer to remove the prince in a chariot to an unknown place and bury him there alive. The charioteer carried him away and began to dig a pit for his burial. At that very moment Temiya’s vow of silence ended and he began to talk to the charioteer. He eventually became an ascetic. The relief is a fine example of the narrative pattern in Indian art. On the left, the king is seated in a pavilion with the child in his lap. The charioteer, who has brought the Prince in a chariot drawn by four horses is seen at the extreme right digging a pit, while the Prince with folded hands, is in conversation with the charioteer. At the top, the Prince in ascetic habit is seated in a grove indicated by two trees flanking him. The inscription reads: ‘mugapakhiya jataka’ (the episode of the Dumb Being).